The Deputy Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Ikeja Constituency II, Hon. Adedamola Richard Kasunmu, has organised a free medical outreach in collaboration with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to celebrate the 2026 World Sight Day.
The outreach, held on Thursday, October 8, 2026, with the theme "Love Your Eyes," offered free eye screening, consultations and glasses to residents of Ikeja.
Speaking with journalists during the exercise, Hon. Kasunmu said the initiative is part of his continuous commitment to giving back to his constituency since 2015 and aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) which promotes healthy living.
"We've been at it since inception, since 2015, at various points in time. And like you said, just in line with the celebration of World Sight Day today, we intend to continue to live up to the expectation of people, particularly in line with SDG 3 which has to do with promoting healthy living. Sight is a major force to reckon with," he said.
According to him, sight enables people to achieve a lot, hence the need to support constituents with eye care.
"And if you have sight, you have the ability to do quite a number of things. And to promote that is the inspiration behind making sure that we help and aid our people within our community. That's why we have collaborations with LASUTH to help us further spread the uniqueness and insightfulness of this programme," he added.
The lawmaker noted that the eye care outreach is not the only health initiative he has undertaken, adding that he has previously organised dental care, hygiene and other health awareness programmes in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
"This is not even the only initiative that we've done. We've done dental, we've done hygiene, we've done all other series of awareness programmes just to make sure that healthy living is promoted. This is a way to give back to the community to ensure that we promote good sight," he said.
Kasunmu disclosed that over 100 residents benefited on the first day of the outreach and expressed hope to expand the reach to accommodate more people, including youths, elderly, men and women.
"We want to, as much as possible, get across to many people, both young, old, and particularly our senior citizens. It is just my own way to make sure that we continue to safeguard the health of our elderly citizens particularly, because as you grow older, of course the sight fades and you need aids," he said.
On whether the programme would cover surgeries, Kasunmu explained that the immediate focus is identification of eye problems such as cataracts and glaucoma, after which necessary support would be provided through collaborations with public hospitals.
"Well, surgeries can come in small, it can come in big, depending on what the nature of the problem is. Is it cataract? Is it glaucoma? The best way to go about it is to identify what the issues are first and further look for ways to fix them. Some can do those surgeries by themselves if it's available and affordable, and some we might have to aid," he said.
He added that through partnerships with state-owned hospitals like LASUTH, beneficiaries could access surgeries at more affordable rates.
The Deputy Majority Leader urged beneficiaries to adhere strictly to medical advice given by doctors and nurses and to make proper use of the free glasses distributed.
"My message to the people is that as much as we're doing this, they also have a part to play by making sure that they do the needful in some of the advice given to them by the doctors. The free glasses given are not meant to be kept in the wardrobe. They are meant to help your sight and aid your vision," he said.
He also used the medium to switch to Yoruba language to emphasise the importance of eye care to residents who understand the local dialect better, noting that this year's theme "Love Your Eyes" is a reminder to care for what God has given freely.
Kasunmu thanked the management and staff of LASUTH for their tireless efforts in providing quality care and appreciated community leaders, including Chief Funsho Olugbade, and members of the ARC Nation community for their support.
He stressed that the outreach is not politically motivated but a sustained humanitarian gesture.
"On a final note, I must make it clear that this initiative is not an electoral initiative. It is an initiative that has been ongoing for so many years. I did not fix the calendar. I only did it in line with the celebration and commemoration of World Sight Day," he said.
In her remarks, Consultant Ophthalmologist, LASUTH, Dr. Sedoten Bashorun, who represented the Head of Ophthalmology Department, said World Sight Day is aimed at creating awareness about the importance of vision and preventive eye care.
"The essence of World Sight Day is to create awareness about vision, about sight, for people to be aware about their sights because we know that it's very important that people have their eyes checked so that prevention is better than cure," she said.
She noted that LASUTH, which resides in Ikeja, tours different locations yearly, adding that last year's outreach was held at Ipodo, while this year's was sited to reach more residents within Ikeja.
"The significance of this celebration is to provide free eye care because we understand that some people, especially the elderly, may not have the benefit to come to the hospital. So it's like bringing healthcare, eye care, to their doorstep and it's top-notch eye care services," she said.
Dr. Bashorun said the outreach is fully free and done in collaboration with the office of Hon. Kasunmu. She advised beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity and go for regular eye checks, adding that those diagnosed with cataracts, glaucoma or other serious conditions would be referred to LASUTH for further care.
Some of the beneficiaries commended Hon. Kasunmu for his commitment to giving back to society and thanked doctors and nurses from LASUTH for quality care.
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