World Sight Day 2026: rally walks and free screenings across Lagos

World Sight Day falls on Thursday 8 October, and this year the chapter is marking it in the streets rather than in a hall. Optometrists from the Lagos State Chapter will walk with the public in four zones, and three of those zones will run free eye screening on the day.

The theme this year is Love Your Eyes: Every Story Counts, led globally by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. It puts people at the centre of the eye-health conversation rather than the statistics, which is what this day is for: the person who has never had their eyes tested, the child struggling at a blackboard, the driver who stopped reading at night.

Where and when

Ikeja — walk from 7:30am, screening from 8:15am

The walk sets off from Allen Junction and finishes at Opebi–Toyin Junction. Screening is at the Onigbongbo LCDA Secretariat from 8:15am.

Alimosho — walk from 9:00am, screening from 10:00am

The walk runs from Car Wash Bus Stop to the Alimosho LG Secretariat. Screening is at the Alimosho LG Secretariat from 10:00am.

Island — walk from 9:00am, screening from 10:00am

The walk starts at Mega Chicken, Ikota and goes to Ajah Motor Park along the Lekki–Epe corridor. Screening is at Ajah Motor Park from 10:00am.

Festac — awareness walk from 9:00am, no screening

Festac's activity is an awareness walk in Ajao Estate. There is no screening centre there. Instead the zone will visit persons living with blindness.

What a screening involves

Visual acuity. Examination of the front of the eye. Intraocular pressure, and examination of the optic nerve where the setting allows. Refraction where a problem is found, and referral for anyone who needs a full examination or onward care.

A screening is a filter, not a diagnosis. Its job is to identify who needs to be seen properly. If you are told to attend for a full examination, that is the screening working — and it is worth following up on, because many people do not, which wastes the finding.

Bring any spectacles you currently wear and a list of the medicines you take. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, say so, because it changes what we look for.

Why this matters

Vision impairment affects millions of people worldwide, and a large share of it is preventable or treatable when it is found early enough.

• 2.2 billion people worldwide live with a near or distance vision impairment (WHO).
• More than a billion of those cases could have been prevented, or have yet to be addressed.
• 4.2% of Nigerian adults aged 40 and over are blind — about 1.13 million people.
• 4.25 million Nigerian adults aged 40 and over are visually impaired or blind.

In Nigeria the avoidable causes of blindness and visual impairment go on affecting individuals, families, education, work and independence. Those are the figures the chapter quotes from WHO data; they are not a count taken at these screenings.

Love your eyes

1. Have your eyes tested regularly, even when your vision seems normal.
2. Protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet radiation and from hazards at work.
3. Practise good eye hygiene, and avoid unverified eye remedies.
4. Do not self-medicate for eye problems.
5. See an eye-care professional promptly if you notice any change in your vision.
6. Seek immediate care after any assault that affects your eye, even when your vision initially seems unaffected.
7. If you live with diabetes or hypertension, have your eyes checked regularly.

Share your story

The theme asks every story to count, and that includes the ordinary ones. Why you have never had your eyes tested. What you gave up because you could not see well enough. The child whose schoolwork you have watched suffer in silence. Whoever you tell, the point is that it gets said.

On the day, there will be people from the chapter recording what the public wants to say. You do not need an appointment, a diagnosis or a reason.

Every story counts because every pair of eyes counts. Behind the statistics are real people whose education, work, independence and quality of life can be affected by vision loss. This World Sight Day, we are asking Nigerians to love their eyes by taking action before a problem becomes a crisis.

Dr. Ghenorhe Ehimen
Chairperson, NOA Lagos Chapter

Let us not wait until sight is lost before we appreciate its value. Love your eyes, get your eyes checked, protect your vision — and share your story, because every story counts.

Enquiries

Nigerian Optometric Association, Lagos State Chapter
Email noalagos@gmail.com · Website noalagos.org
Instagram and TikTok @noalagoschapter · Facebook NOA Lagos Chapter