The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, AKIN ABAYOMI, says the state government will designate one of its general hospitals as a center for ophthalmic speciality to improve care for patients with eye conditions.

ABAYOMI said this during the fourth Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Africa Retina Society in Lagos.

The event was themed, “Upscaling Retinal Services in a Resource-Constrained Economy.”

ABAYOMI said the center would provide world-class diagnostic, medical, surgical and ophthalmic services in Lagos and Nigeria.

He stressed that the state would prioritize eye health, noting that the state was working on developing screening capacity of all its primary healthcare facilities to detect eye diseases early.

The commissioner further said that efforts are ongoing to promote eye screening, especially in schools, starting with the training of teachers to detect students exhibiting challenges with their vision.

The commissioner further said the state would strengthen public awareness and understanding on eye health, especially glaucoma and visual acuity.

He acknowledged that ophthalmology was equipment-intensive, stressing that the government would pay attention to that and human resources to enable practitioners to make appropriate diagnosis, and treatment to reverse medical tourism.