By Patrick Obia
The Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), Cross River State Chapter, has raised an alarm over the growing prevalence of quackery in eye care, particularly in rural and underserved communities in the state.
The Association gave the concern during a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River State Council, as part of activities marking the 2026 World Sight Day, scheduled for Thursday, October 8.
Chairperson of the Association, Dr. Ogechi Cecilia Chukwu, said this year’s World Sight Day campaign, themed “Love Your Eyes,” would focus particularly on teachers and eye health.
She held that teachers are important partners in identifying vision problems among children, as they are often among the first to notice when pupils struggle to see the board, read or participate effectively in classroom activities.
Dr. Ogechi, however, noted that teachers themselves require good vision to effectively perform their duties, which informed the Association’s decision to include eye-health education and vision screening for teachers in its World Sight Day activities.
The optometrists expressed particular concern about the activities of unqualified persons offering eye-care services in communities where access to licensed professionals is limited.
According to Dr. Ogechi, the shortage of qualified eye-care providers in underserved areas makes residents vulnerable to inappropriate examinations and treatments by unqualified practitioners, creating significant public-health and patient-safety risks.
She therefore appealed to the media to intensify public education on eye health and encourage residents to seek eye-care services only from qualified and licensed professionals.
NOA called on the NUJ to support its campaign through sustained public awareness on eye health, promotion of regular eye examinations, increased publicity for its teacher-focused World Sight Day activities and greater advocacy for the employment of qualified optometrists, particularly in rural communities.
Mrs. Chukwu also encouraged the NUJ leadership and members of the public to support the #LoveYourEyes campaign by prioritizing their eye health and encouraging others to do the same.
She stressed the need for collective action to protect the vision of teachers and children while tackling quackery and improving access to quality eye-care services across Cross River State.
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