14,000 Niger residents blind from cataracts, 5,000 new cases recorded annually

About 14,000 people in Niger State are currently blind from cataracts, with an estimated 5,000 new cases added to the backlog annually, the Niger State Ministry of Health has disclosed.
Dr Halima Isah Umar, Chairman of the Niger State Eye Care Programme and Head of the Eye Centre, General Hospital, Minna, disclosed this on Thursday at a press briefing in Minna to mark the 2026 World Sight Day, observed annually on October 8.
Umar, a Consultant Ophthalmologist, said cataract remained the commonest cause of blindness in the state, accounting for about 50 to 60 per cent of blindness cases.
She said the 14,000 figure represented people already blind from cataracts who had yet to receive...