The TY Danjuma Foundation, in partnership with Care Vision Support Initiative (CAVSI), has concluded a week-long medical outreach in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba state that provided free comprehensive eyecare services aimed at improving sight, reducing preventable blindness, and enhancing the overall well-being of people in the targeted communities.

A Health Worker Carrying Out an Eye Check

The Nigeria National Blindness and Vision Impairment Survey (2005-2007) estimates that 1,130,000 individuals aged 40 and above are blind, and the prevalence of blindness for all ages is 4.2% of the population. The survey also indicates that 84% of blindness in Nigeria is due to avoidable causes, with cataracts being the most common cause – accounting for 45.3% of visual impairments and 43.0% of blindness.

Eye Surgery – Cataract Removal

Against this backdrop, the TY Danjuma Foundation has partnered with CAVSI to take free eye health to needy communities. The outreaches aim to ensure that people in deprived communities have sustainable access to free quality eye health services by training health workers, donating essential eye screening equipment, performing eye screening for community members and school pupils, and providing counselling, medication, spectacles and surgical services to patients in need.

Acuity Testing for Pupils

As summarised below, 1,547 persons benefited from the recent outreach:

Intervention Outcome

School screening
Since 2009, the TY Danjuma Foundation has invested $41.5 million to implement 340 health and education projects across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, reaching over 10 million people.