The maiden free eye care programme of Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation took place on the 4th of September, 2021 at Confidence Aged Care Home, Army Engineers Estate, Jos. The event was scheduled to take place on the 28th of August but had to be postponed because of the security situation in Jos. A good number of people turned up for the event despite the ban on the main mode of public transportation (tricycles) in Jos north local government. One hundred and sixty-six persons were attended to, and these were mainly elderly patients with the oldest being a woman aged over 100 years.

The programme was conducted in collaboration with Confidence Aged Care Home, and the volunteers included an optician, an optometrist, three ophthalmologists, and other volunteers of Confidence Aged Care Home. Services rendered during the programme included screening for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, refraction and prescription of reading glasses, and treatment of other minor eye conditions such as allergic conjunctivitis. The commonest conditions seen were presbyopia, allergic conjunctivitis, cataract, glaucoma, and optic atrophy. Thirteen patients were booked for surgery; 12 with cataracts, and one case of trachomatous trichiasis. Channels television was on hand to cover the event while the Department of State Services provided security. Vision impairment remains an urgent and increasingly important public health priority with recent data on global prevalence of blindness revealing a significant increase in the number of people living with blindness over the past 20 years. Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation’s vision is “to see that no one is needlessly blind from preventable or treatable causes in sub-Saharan Africa”, and organization of free comprehensive eye care programmes is one of the ways by which the foundation intends to accomplish this vision.