Dr Fatima Kyari MBBS FWACS MSc

Research Degree Student

Fatima trained as an ophthalmologist in National Eye Centre, Kaduna and had worked there as a consultant ophthalmologist. She participated in community-based blindness prevention activities including cataract outreach programme; organisation and participation at surgical eye camps, health education and evaluation of eye care services.  

She got her MSc in Community Eye Health (2003) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). On return to National Eye Centre, Kaduna, Fatima was appointed as the head of department of Community Ophthalmology. This entailed administrative and management responsibilities; planning and participating in outreach cataract surgical eye camps.   In addition, she was tasked with the responsibility of provision of community-based outreach eye care and cataract surgical services; technical input for Sight Savers International (SSI) partnership activities in the KSECP; human resource development by training various cadres of ophthalmic/medical personnel in community-based eye care services for the National and states eye care programmes; and eye health education at every point of contact with patients.   The department was also responsible for the Community Eye Health module of the West African College of Surgeons for postgraduate diploma and fellowship in ophthalmology which they organized annually. She modified the curriculum according to CEH principles and to reflect Vision2020. She also coordinated the provision of visual rehabilitation services; and medical social services to disadvantaged patients and those in difficult circumstances and to staff.  

Fatima's interest in academics and family considerations led her to the nascent College of Health Sciences of University of Abuja, Nigeria, as Senior Lecturer, and Head of Department of Ophthalmology. Her primary responsibility is to teach medical students and related disciplines and provide post-graduate residency/specialist training in ophthalmology. Other tasks include developing course curricula for undergraduate training and post-graduate residency in ophthalmology and service delivery in the discipline of ophthalmology.  

Other areas of interest

Outside the sphere of her primary place of work, Fatima organizes and facilitates cataract surgery in rural under-serviced areas; in collaboration with local philanthropists and local NGOs. She also assists blind cataract children in the community to obtain funds and get treated at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna.   She is a member of the Prevention of Blindness Committee, FCT, Abuja that developed the Vision 2020 plan for the state eye care programme.

Affiliation

Teaching

As a consultant at National Eye Centre, Kaduna, Fatima was involved in ophthalmology residency training and in training other eye care cadres (ophthalmic nurses, community health workers, etc).

She has taught at the tropical ophthalmology course at LSHTM (2010)

Research

Fatima's MSc dissertation was based on a survey on the Prevalence of blindness and visual impairment and barriers to ophthalmic surgery in Mobbar LGA, Borno state, Nigeria. 

She also participated as Community Ophthalmologist and team A leader on the Nigeria National Blindness and Low Vision Survey Project, one of the largest population-based surveys in Africa.


Having been awarded the Fred Hollows Foundation scholarship for a PhD at LSHTM, Fatima has started a project which focuses on ways to improve service delivery for glaucoma in Nigeria. The area of her study includes building up and analyzing data in relation to glaucoma, the 2nd leading cause of blindness (16% of 1 million people blind) in Nigeria, from the Nigeria National Blindness survey.  Other aspects of the project look at the ophthalmologists practice pattern and available hospital infrastructure for the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma; and what patients in the care system and the community think, know and do about glaucoma.  

Disciplines

  • Epidemiology
  • Medicine

Disease and Health Conditions

  • Eye diseases

Other interests

  • Blindness Prevention
  • Glaucoma
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