By CHIOMA OBINNA
The Optometrist and Dispensary Registration Board of Nigeria has shut down a fake eye clinic located at Shop 35, University of Lagos Main shopping complex, Lagos.

Investigations reveal that the operator had on its sign board the inscription “Dudu Ventures”.

Luck ran out of the owner, Mr. Dudu Yemi Oladipupo, a school certificate holder, when an enforcement unit of the Board stormed his shop following a tip off.

By the entrance of the shop, members of the public were given the impression that the shop was for shoes, clothes and hair accessories amongst others. But in reality, the owner who has no formal training on eye related issues was actually carrying out eye tests and treating other eye diseases.

*The fake eye clinic shut by the Optometrists Registration Board.

Information available to Good Health Weekly revealed that already, three people have been permanently blind due to the activities going on in the place.

Speaking, Head of Inspection and Registration, Optometrist and Registration Board of Nigeria, Dr Okafor Igbo,  said the operations of quacks are seriously threatening Nigeria’s attainment of vision 2020.

Igbo who regretted that many unsuspecting Nigerians have suffered all manners of eye injury even  later life blindness due to the operations of quacks in the profession warned that the attention of the board have been drawn to their activities.

Stating that not less than 15 eye clinics have been shut so far by the Board, he warned that if caught, defaulters would be severely punished.

He said the Board had been following the activities of Dudu Eye Centre activities for weeks following a complaint from some  victims.

Further, he explained that such activities also lead to refractive errors, cataract, and glaucoma amongst others.

“We have recovered so many things from him.  It takes an optometrist or an eye doctor to pass five credits including English, mathematics, chemistry, Biology before going through JAMB.  You will need to study for at least six years, do your internship and one year NYSC before applying for licence to practice as an eye doctor.  How come a school certificate holder is now operating an eye clinic?

“Contact lens are given by qualified optometrists not from a market man or woman or such places like this. We discovered ortho-refractive equipment and some basic things you need for tests. He is now treating eye diseases and people are going blind. We have got three cases from  UNILAG alone.  People are going blind. Who knows who will be a victim tomorrow?”

Igbo advised Nigerians to visit registered clinics for their eye needs in order to save their sight from avoidable damage or later life blindness.

Reacting to the allegations, Oladipupo who admitted to being a school certificate holder who never had any form of training on eye treatment claimed he was only selling frames before an eye clinic, Day Spring Eye clinic started supplying him with contact lenses and other eye solutions.

Oladipupo who told Good health weekly that he was planning to enrol with the University of Benin to study ophthalmology said: “I am not running an eye clinic. What I do is to collect their prescriptions. I have been selling frames for five years now before I registered with Day spring eye clinic.

I was selling frames before Day spring eye clinic started supplying us with contact frames.  It is not everyone that I run test for unless they bring their prescription from LUTH then I will go to the Laboratory to do it. If you want to do refraction, we take you to Day Spring or Besco at No.2 Ojuelegba.

“Before now, I was asked to come and enrol in the University of Benin.  I was asked to be attending lectures every weekend.  I am not yet a student. It was the Nigerian Medical Optical Association.  They called me from university of Benin.  I told them that I will join them by September.”