Jigawa Faces Worsening Blindness Crisis Amid Acute Shortage of Eye Specialists
Oluwafunbi Bello 
JIGAWA, Nigeria – The Jigawa State Government raises the alarm over a sharp increase in blindness cases, warning that a critical shortage of eye care specialists is pushing the state towards a major public health emergency.
Official records show that 81,797 cases of eye-related complications are reported across the state in 2024, with cataracts and glaucoma emerging as the leading causes. Health authorities say the situation is aggravated by the migration of medical professionals abroad.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Dutse on Wednesday, the Acting Chairperson of the Jigawa State Eye Health Committee, Usman Muhammad, describes the manpower gap as “deeply alarming”.
“In Jigawa, there is only one ophthalmologist employed by the state government. The two federal institutions have three, leaving a deficit of more than 24 ophthalmologists,” Muhammad says. “We also have only three optometrists serving the entire state.”
He warns that without urgent intervention; the backlog of preventable blindness will continue to rise. “Unless we significantly increase the number of eye care specialists, we cannot reduce blindness caused by cataracts, glaucoma and other conditions,” he adds.
The burden is heaviest in rural communities, where access to care remains limited. Jigawa currently has no paediatric ophthalmologist or glaucoma specialist, despite treating an average of 50 patients daily, with 15 to 20 presenting total blindness.
Cataracts account for about 50 per cent of blindness cases, a pattern consistent with national and global trends.
World Health Organisation guidelines recommend four ophthalmologists and 10 optometrists per one million people. With a population exceeding seven million, Jigawa requires at least 28 ophthalmologists and 70 optometrists to meet basic standards.
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Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Hussaini Ibrahim 