By Elizabeth Osayande

Beneficiaries of a two-day free eye outreach programme organised by The R.E.T.I.N.A Initiative have expressed their gratitude for the initiative. “I have often gone to the health centre to check my eyes, but couldn’t afford glasses. This program has given me a pair of glasses and medications for free. May the Almighty continue to bless the organisers,” shared Mrs Fadekemi, a grateful resident from Imadin Community.

Mrs Hafsat from Agbeda community remarked, “Before the glasses, my eyes would itch, and I couldn’t see my phone clearly. Now, I can read tiny print without any issue.”

Recall that over 500 residents from the Agbeda and Imadin communities in Ilesha West Local Government Area of Osun State received essential eye care services during a two-day outreach program organised by The R.E.T.I.N.A Initiative on June 6 and 7. The event, part of the second edition of the Vision Without Borders program, provided free eye examinations, medications, reading glasses, and referrals for individuals needing specialised care.

Optometrist and co-founder of The R.E.T.I.N.A Initiative, Dr Babatunde Bale, highlighted the importance of early detection by primary health care workers. “We believe that community health workers are best positioned to catch these cases early,” he explained. “This intervention not only provides immediate services to those in need but also strengthens the tools available at primary health centres for future care.”

Beyond individual care, the team trained community health workers at the Ifesowapo Agbeda Primary Health Center in Agbeda community and the Imadin Primary Health Center in Imadin community in basic visual acuity assessment, and donated visual acuity charts to both facilities. The goal is to support the primary health centres in identifying residents with reduced vision and referring them appropriately.

A survey conducted after the outreach revealed that 56.41% of beneficiaries had never used reading glasses before, with 21.61% unaware that they needed them, despite 83.35% acknowledging the benefits of reading glasses for improving near vision. This underlines the critical need for community-level education on eye health. “Many in our community simply don’t realise they have vision issues,” said Dr Bale.

The outreach garnered strong support from local traditional leaders, including High Chief Alonge Oludare, the Sapakin of Ikoti Ilesha, and Chief Olamilekan Adebanji, the Onimadin of Imadin. Their endorsement played a vital role in mobilising residents for the event. “This initiative is a blessing to our communities, and we stand firmly behind it,” Chief Adebanji stated.

Dr Bale, a recipient of the Global Youth Mobilisation Fund in 2025 (supported by the European Union Youth Empowerment Fund, the World Health Organisation, and the United Nations Foundation), emphasised the alignment of Vision Without Borders with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being). “Through these initiatives, we aim to bridge the gap in eye care access in underserved communities across Nigeria,” he added.

The first edition of Vision Without Borders took place in Makoko, Lagos, in October 2024, where over 400 residents benefited from similar eye care services. Founded by Dr Babatunde Bale and Dr Amarachi Esonwune, The R.E.T.I.N.A Initiative is dedicated to creating community-based interventions that combine clinical services with health education to strengthen primary care access.