The Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) has cautioned Nigerians against patronising quacks for eye lenses.

Dr John Samssedi, the Chairman of the association, Lagos State Chapter, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.

“Purchasing lenses from quacks in the markets can hinder detection of eye problems.

“Buying frames by the roadside is not a problem, it is the lens that people buy without prescription from a specialist that is the problem.

“I must emphasise that patients who patronise quacks are doing so at their  own peril.

“This is because, apart from  the diseases they will get,  they are likely to get the prescription wrong.

“When people get older,  from the age of 39 and above, because of their age, they will no longer find it easy to read tiny letters, they most likely will move the letterings backwards before they see it.

“Those are the `Presbyopia,’ that is the age-related farsightedness, such people should see a doctor for diagnosis and prescription instead of indulging in self-medication and diagnosis.

“Buying lenses from the roadside will not magnify their ability to focus actively on nearby objects, rather it would complicate their conditions and make them to lose their sight.

“Such age group cannot escape presbyopia, even if  they have never had a vision problem before,’’ Samssedi said.

The optometrist advised  such patients to visit a registered eye clinic for proper diagnosis and categorisation.

The Wikipaedia online dictionary describes Presbyopia as a ” condition associated with the aging of the eye that results in progressively worsening ability to focus clearly on close objects.

“Its symptoms include difficulty in reading small print, having to hold reading material farther away, headaches and eye strain.

“Worldwide, an estimated 1.3 billion people had presbyopia in 2011; this number is expected to increase to 2.1 billion by 2020,’’ it said. (NAN)