The Federal Government has said that about 24 million Nigerians are living with vision loss as the world marks World Sight Day 2026.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Wednesday at a Public-Private Sector Roundtable on Eye Health in Abuja.
Salako said much of the vision loss in Nigeria was linked to preventable or treatable conditions, including cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors and digital eye strain.
He called for stronger private-sector investment in eye health, saying access to quality eye care was essential to education, workplace productivity, economic growth and national development.
“Eye health should no longer be viewed solely as a health-sector concern,” Salako said.
The minister said the Federal Government’s JigiBola 2.0 initiative had delivered more than two million free eye screenings and 1.5 million free spectacles in just over a year.
He added that more than 2,200 Primary Health Care workers had been trained, while over 800 PHC centres across 16 states had been activated to provide primary eye-care services.
Salako also urged businesses to support eye-health programmes through corporate social responsibility initiatives, including school eye-health programmes, rural surgical outreaches and community-based eye-care centres.
He said telecommunications companies could also support remote eye screening and tele-ophthalmology, while local manufacturers should invest in producing spectacle frames, lenses, medicines and other eye-care products.
World Sight Day is observed annually on the second Thursday of October to draw attention to blindness, vision impairment and the need for accessible, available and affordable eye care.
This year’s global campaign is centred on #LoveYourEyes, with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness urging individuals and governments to prioritise eye health and expand access to care.
The global campaign comes ahead of the first Global Summit for Eye Health, scheduled for November 2, 2026, in Antigua and Barbuda, where governments and stakeholders are expected to make commitments towards tackling avoidable sight loss.
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