Lenses are meant for specific health needs. Usually, they are prescribed by eye specialists and sold in specific optical shops. Today, lenses are sold along the roadside in big towns and cities especially in Yaounde. Even though the quality may be doubtful, many people prefer to buy from the road roadside for diverse reasons.
Beatrice, a Yaounde inhabitant was seen buying a pair of lenses in down town Yaounde recently. She said she had problems with reading and bought glasses last year. She explained that since she bought the first pair of lenses, her vision had not improved. So she wanted to replace them. The story is similar to that of Martin K., another Yaounde inhabitant. He said after consulting an ophthalmologist, he bought his pair of lenses along the road. “For the past one year, there have been no changes with my sight,” he said. This is the situation many Cameroonians are facing today. Many people fall prey to fake dealers who sell fake medicated glasses. In the city centre, there are varieties of these products and it is difficult to differentiate the good from the fake ones.
One of the traders, Djida E. said he sells lenses to people with prescriptions or even without prescriptions and also repairs spectacles. The glasses are imported he buys them from Douala. The lenses cost at least FCFA 2,000. He explained that most people prefer to buy from the roadside because they are cheaper than in optical shops. Although these lenses may satisfy the needs of some people, the effects may be dangerous.
Paul Njomnang, an optician in Yaounde said lenses sold along the road are not medicated glasses. He said such spectacles have long term effects on the eyes. “When you wear non-medicated glasses, in the long run you will have glaucoma,” he said. He added that there are different types of spectacles in the market and among them are fake lenses. He expressed the wish that the Ministry of Public Health will take measures to control the sector. These fake lenses, according to him, can easily weaken the eyes. “Within the next 20 to 30, years there will be many blind people in Cameroon because of bad products in the market,” he predicted.
The President of the National Order of Opticians (ONOC), Théodore Mbega said ONOC forbids people from buying lenses sold along the road because they destroy eyes. He said people with eye problems should consult ophthalmologists rather than destroying their eyes with fake lenses. “Today, the sale of fake lenses is a source of living for many. But we cannot allow the practice continue because we have to protect the sight of Cameroonians,” he said.
