By Damilola Samuel
Nigeria’s shortage of eye-care specialists could worsen as more ophthalmologists leave the country, with the Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) estimating that the migration of a single specialist could cost the economy about $150,000 annually.
The President of OSN, Dr Gloria Patrick-Ferife, raised the concern in a communiqué issued at the end of the society’s 51st Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference in Abuja.
The three-day conference, themed “Re-imagining Eye Care in the Digital Era,” focused on challenges facing eye-care delivery and how technology and innovation could improve access to specialised services.
Patrick-Ferife said the continued migration of ophthalmologists was putting additional pressure on an already inadequate workforce, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
She called on the federal, state and local governments to increase the employment of ophthalmologists and other eye-health professionals, stressing the need to create conditions that would encourage skilled workers to remain in Nigeria.
Further,. she identified poor distribution of health workers, insecurity and inadequate employment opportunities as factors contributing to the concentration of specialists in major cities.
Beyond the workforce challenge, the OSN president said Nigeria was also facing a significant burden of visual impairment, with more than 24 million Nigerians affected.
According to her, cataract, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors and diabetic retinopathy remain major causes of blindness and visual impairment in the country.
She noted that about 84 per cent of cases of visual impairment and blindness in Nigeria were preventable or treatable, making early detection and access to appropriate treatment crucial.
Patrick-Ferife said technology could provide new ways of reaching people who currently have limited access to specialist eye care.
She listed artificial intelligence, tele-ophthalmology, digital imaging, electronic medical records and simulation-based training among technologies that could help expand services and improve the quality of care, even as she cautioned that technology should complement rather than replace professional medical expertise.
“Technological advancement must not compromise ethics or replace the human expertise required in patient care,” she said.
The society also expressed concern about the digital divide, inadequate infrastructure, affordability, data protection and ethical issues surrounding the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
To improve planning and decision-making, the OSN called for eye-health data to be integrated into the national District Health Information Software platform.
It also advocated the use of solar-powered digital tools at primary healthcare facilities, particularly in areas where unreliable electricity limits the use of digital health technologies.
Patrick-Ferife further urged the adoption of tele-ophthalmology to connect patients in underserved communities with specialists and reduce geographical barriers to eye care.
She said Nigeria must combine investment in its health workforce with technology and better use of data to address the country’s eye-care challenges and ensure that quality services are available beyond major urban centres.
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