The Rationale for Mandatory Eye Exams in Nigerian Education

Education is the key to personal and national development. It equips individuals with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that enable them to contribute positively to society. However, education cannot be effective if the learners are unable to see clearly. Vision is essential for learning, as it affects reading, writing, comprehension, attention, memory and academic performance. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.3 billion people globally have some form of vision impairment, and 80% of these cases are preventable or curable. In Nigeria, the prevalence of vision impairment among children is estimated to be 5.3%, and the main causes are refractive errors, cataracts, glaucoma and eye infections.

Vision impairment can have serious consequences for children's education and prospects. Children with poor vision may struggle to keep up with their peers, lose interest in school, drop out or fail exams. They may also face social stigma, discrimination and low self-esteem. Moreover, vision impairment can limit their career choices and economic opportunities in adulthood. Therefore, children's vision problems must be detected and corrected early before they affect their learning outcomes and life chances.

One of the most effective ways to ensure that children have good vision is to conduct regular eye exams. Eye exams are comprehensive assessments of the eye health and visual function of an individual, performed by a qualified eye care professional such as an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. Eye exams can identify and diagnose various eye conditions, such as refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia), amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and eye infections. Eye exams can also prescribe appropriate treatments, such as glasses, contact lenses, medication, surgery or vision therapy.

Eye exams are especially important for children, as they can prevent or reduce the impact of vision impairment on their education and development. Eye exams can help children to see clearly and comfortably, which can improve their reading ability, comprehension, attention span, concentration, memory and academic performance. Eye exams can also prevent or treat eye diseases that can cause permanent vision loss or blindness if left untreated. Eye exams can also detect other health problems that may affect the eyes or the brain, such as diabetes, hypertension, brain tumors or neurological disorders.

However, despite the benefits of eye exams for children's education and health, many children in Nigeria do not have access to them. According to a study by Ovenseri-Ogbomo et al. (2012), only 18% of primary school children in Nigeria had ever had an eye exam, and only 4% had received glasses when needed. The main barriers to accessing eye exams in Nigeria include lack of awareness, low priority given to eye health, cost of eye care services and products, distance to eye care facilities, shortage of eye care personnel and equipment, cultural beliefs and practices, and lack of government support and policies.

Therefore, there is a need for mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education. Mandatory eye exams are compulsory screenings or assessments of the vision of all students enrolled in schools at certain grade levels or intervals. Mandatory eye exams aim to ensure that all students have good vision or receive appropriate treatment if they have any vision problems that may affect their learning or health. Mandatory eye exams can be implemented by various stakeholders in the education sector, such as the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), the National Examination Council (NECO), the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), the universities that offer optometry programs, the state ministries of education and health, the local government education authorities (LGEAs), the school management committees (SMCs), the head teachers and teachers, the parents and guardians, and the students themselves.

Advantages of Mandatory Eye Examinations in Nigerian Education

Mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education can have several advantages for the students, the schools and the society at large. Some of these advantages are:

1. Improved learning outcomes: Mandatory eye exams can improve the learning outcomes of students by ensuring that they have good vision or receive appropriate treatment if they have any vision problems that may affect their reading ability, comprehension, attention span, concentration, memory and academic performance.

2. Reduced dropout rates: Mandatory eye exams can reduce the dropout rates of students by preventing or treating vision problems that may cause them to lose interest in school, struggle to keep up with their peers, fail exams or face social stigma.

3. Enhanced career prospects: Mandatory eye exams can enhance the career prospects of students by expanding their choices of fields of study, vocations and professions that require good vision or specific visual skills.

4. Improved health and well-being: Mandatory eye exams can improve the health and well-being of students by preventing or treating eye diseases that can cause permanent vision loss or blindness if left untreated, and by detecting other health problems that may affect the eyes or the brain.

5. Reduced social and economic costs: Mandatory eye exams can reduce the social and economic costs of vision impairment by preventing or treating vision problems that may lead to low productivity, unemployment, poverty, dependency and social exclusion.

However, mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education also face some challenges and limitations that must be addressed. Some of these challenges and limitations are: 

1. Lack of awareness and priority: Many students, parents, teachers and policymakers may not be aware of the importance of eye exams for children's education and health, or may not give enough priority to eye health in the face of other competing needs and demands.

2. Cost and affordability: Eye exams and treatments, such as glasses, contact lenses, medication or surgery, may be too expensive for many students and their families, especially those from low-income backgrounds or rural areas.

3. Accessibility and availability: Eye care facilities and personnel may not be accessible or available for many students and their families, especially those from remote or underserved areas.

4. Quality and standardization: Eye exams and treatments may vary in quality and standardization across different eye care providers, schools, states and regions, which may affect the accuracy, reliability and effectiveness of the services and products.

5. Compliance and follow-up: Many students and their families may not comply with the recommendations or prescriptions of the eye care professionals, or may not follow up with the necessary treatments or check-ups, due to lack of awareness, motivation, resources or support.

6. Coordination and collaboration: Many stakeholders in the education sector may not coordinate or collaborate effectively with each other or with the eye care sector, due to a lack of communication, trust, cooperation or alignment of goals and interests. 

Therefore, to implement mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education successfully, there is a need for a comprehensive, integrated and multisectoral approach that involves all the relevant stakeholders in the planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of the program. Some of the possible strategies and actions that can be taken to achieve this are: 

1. Raising awareness and advocacy: There is a need to raise awareness and advocacy among students, parents, teachers, policymakers and the general public about the importance of eye exams for children's education and health, and the benefits of mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education.

This can be done through various media platforms, such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, social media, websites, blogs, podcasts, etc., as well as through community outreach programs, such as seminars, workshops, rallies, campaigns, etc.

2. Developing policies and guidelines: There is a need to develop policies and guidelines that support mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education at the federal, state and local levels.

These policies and guidelines should specify the objectives, scope, criteria, standards, procedures, roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders involved in the program, as well as the sources and mechanisms of funding, accountability and evaluation.

3. Providing resources and incentives: There is a need to provide adequate resources and incentives for mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education, such as funding, equipment, personnel, training, transportation, subsidies, scholarships, awards, etc., to ensure that the program is accessible, affordable, available and attractive for all students and their families.

4. Building capacity and infrastructure: There is a need to build the capacity and infrastructure of the eye care sector and the education sector to deliver quality and standardized eye exams and treatments for all students in Nigeria. This can be done by increasing the number and quality of optometry programs in universities, the number and competence of optometrists and ophthalmologists in eye care facilities, the number and functionality of eye care facilities in schools and communities, the number and skills of teachers and school health workers in vision screening and referral, etc.

5. Enhancing compliance and follow-up: There is a need to enhance the compliance and follow-up of students and their families with the recommendations or prescriptions of the eye care professionals, or with the necessary treatments or check-ups. This can be done by providing them with adequate information, education, counselling, motivation, support, reminders, feedback, etc., to ensure that they understand the importance and benefits of eye exams and treatments and that they adhere to them faithfully.

6. Strengthening coordination and collaboration: There is a need to strengthen the coordination and collaboration among all the stakeholders involved in mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education. This can be done by establishing effective communication channels and platforms among them, such as meetings forums networks committees

Conclusion

In conclusion, the rationale for mandatory eye exams in Nigerian education lies in identifying and addressing vision problems early on, optimising academic performance, promoting equal access to education, and facilitating early detection of eye diseases. By prioritizing students' visual health, schools can create a supportive learning environment that maximizes their potential and well-being.