There were shouts of joy at the Opthalmology Department, Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Abeokuta, Ogun State, last Friday, when free cataract extractive surgeries were successfully conducted on three minors, two of whom were born blind while the third one was affected during her childhood.
The medical team, led by Professor Grace Feyisayo Adepoju, carried out the surgeries on the three minors as part of the NNPC Foundation Ltd/Gte free cataract screening and extraction surgeries for 1000 patients in the South-West.
The three minors were apart from the over 700 other patients from Ogun State whose sights have been restored so far from blindness caused by cataract in the ongoing medical programme in the state.
Parents, staff of the department and well-wishers congratulated the parents of the minors whose surgeries were delayed for a week as extra care and patience were needed to observe them.
The three children could have continued to live miserable and unfulfilled lives as they would be living in darkness, having been born blind. However, they were given a new lease of life and fresh hope as their sights were successfully restored last Friday.
The successful surgical operations created immense joy for the parents of the minors and also brought great hope for some other parents whose children have the same condition.
Dr. Peter Abikoye, Head of the Opthalmology Department, FMC, Abeokuta, explained that Paediatric Opthalmology is a patient process which cannot be hurriedly done.
Five-year-old Iremide Kasali, one of the minors who benefitted from the free cataract extraction surgeries, had cataract disease during her childhood.
Her mother, Adebisi Odunuga, an indigene of Abeokuta, based in Sagamu, said, she heard about the free cataract screening and extraction surgeries from a woman who works at FMC Abeokuta.
She said she had taken Iremide to various hospitals for treatment, including the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, but could not be attended to due to financial constraints.
“We started noticing the problem with her two eyes since she was very young. She would not have sound and deep sleep at night. But we did not take it seriously because Iremide is a restless and playful child. She can see when she is closer to the objects but cannot see anything from a distance.
“She is going to school but she can barely see because her teachers always complain. She can write but you have to be with her and also force her to read and write. If you leave her on her own, she will drop reading and start complaining of having pains in the eyes,” Adebisi Odunuga added.
The surgical operations were sequel to the 1000 free cataract screening and extraction surgeries launched by the NNPC Foundation in the South-West on 16 December 2024.
An adult beneficiary, Omeye Christopher, who had his own successful cataract surgery at the FMC Abeokuta on Wednesday, 8 January 2025, could not hide his joy.
He said: “I feel very excited. I had the surgery this morning and I am very okay. I thank God for the operation that the NNPC Foundation has done for me and several others. I was initially shivering when they wanted to do the operation, but I thank God that it was very successful.
“I got to know about the programme on the radio. I did not pay one kobo; the operation was free. I came here to the FMC Abeokuta; I got a card and they told me to drop my phone number which I did. They called me and I was here today.
“The problem started not too long ago. I noticed that I was not seeing with one of my two eyes. Whenever I close it, I will not see clearly. I have been buying drugs to take care of the defective eye but all to no avail. I cannot calculate what I spent on my health. But I thank God that the operation was successful. I thank the NNPC Foundation. It shall continue to grow and prosper.”
Eminent Nigerians and a mass of people gathered at the FMC Abeokuta premises to witness the official flagging off of the 1,000 Free Cataract Screening and Extraction Surgeries Outreach in the South-