Tomiwa a 24-year old data analyst was busy at work analysing data from the nationwide blindness survey recently conducted in the country whose motto was "Equal Opportunities."

"Dr. Ogwa, I would like you to take a look at the statistics", Tomiwa called out to his supervisor.

"Is there a problem with the data?" she replied, concerned.

"No Ma, I just want you to look at some of the results".

"Alright let me have a look " she said as she sat beside him.

He pointed at the statistical analysis and explained.

"I noticed that more women were blind from cataract in all the communities surveyed. However fewer women had access to cataract surgery compared to men. This is consistent in about 70% of the clusters," he said.

"When I carried out further analyses, only 1 out of every 4 women blind from cataract had cataract surgery. This is in contrast to 3 out of every 4 men who needed cataract surgery and had it. In other words, being a female in this country is a risk factor for blindness from cataract as women are not likely to access cataract surgery when they need it."

"Wow," exclaimed Dr. Ogwa. "I observed a lot of women on the field with blinding cataracts during the study but, this is vital information here, the fact that they do not get to have surgery when they need to."

"Please make a power point presentation. I will arrange workshops for country wide dissemination soon. This country is indeed a land of equal opportunities," she concluded.

Did you know that  cataract is the number one cause of blindness in Nigeria?

It affects both men and women, boys and girls.

We know that Vision is a very important sense

All people - men, women, boys, girls deserve to see clearly.

Make eye health a priority for equal opportunities.

#EachforEqual #InternationalWomen'sDay  #IWD #cataractblindness #restorevision

Dr.Mary Ugalahi

08/03/2020