Abuja, Nigeria - October 11, 2025 As the world marks World Sight Day (WSD), Sightsavers and Bloomberg Philanthropies have launched a 75 million dollar Vision Initiative to tackle untreated vision impairment in Nigeria and low and middle-income countries. The initiative was inaugurated as part of activities to mark the 2025 WSD on Thursday in Abuja. Prof. Joy Shuaibu, Country Director, Sightsavers Nigeria, said the two-year initiative will improve vision and eye health services in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Education. She said the Vision Initiative will screen 11.5 million people, distribute nearly seven million pairs of eyeglasses, and perform cataract surgeries to restore sight for 250,000 individuals across Nigeria, United States, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Kenya. " Making eye care a priority will be transformative for people, for communities, and our nation, Nigeria, because as you would agree, good eye health can reduce inequities, it can get more children in school, and enable more adults to work. "Access to glasses and cataract surgery could boost learning and economic productivity, which is why we are here, and which is why we're investing heavily. "The $75 million vision initiative will tackle untreated vision impairment in low and middle income countries," she said. Dr Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, underscored the importance of regular eye checks as a pathway to maintaining optimal vision and preventing avoidable blindness. Salako, represented by Dr Olawole Jimoh- Salawudeen, Director Hospital services, highlighted the need for early diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases inline with the 2025 WSD, "Love Your Eyes," highlights the need for by qualified eye health professionals. " The Ministry firmly believes that increasing access to quality eye care will advance national development by improving education, productivity, and overall quality of life, thereby contributing to increased life expectancy and sustainable national progress. " Nigeria currently has a blindness prevalence of 0.78% per cent , with about 84 per cent of these cases being preventable," he said. Also, Dr Oteri Okolo, National Coordinator, National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Program (NESHP), Public Health Department, FMoHSW, said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was part of government commitment to improve eye health services. " This MoU is part of Mr President's commitment to eye health. " We remember in 2023, he approved the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative in Nigeria, which is also known as Jigibola 2.0, to ensure that we increase access to eye care in general and glasses specifically to everyone," she said. "When their (older persons), vision is impaired, it translates to an inability to support themselves and live independently. "We need to integrate health care and benefits with social protection and health insurance, ensuring everything contributes to a life worth living.”