Nigeria has taken a significant step in strengthening ophthalmic medical education with the unveiling of West Africa’s first EyeSi Surgical Simulator and the inauguration of the Gbemisola Olowolafe Centre for Ophthalmic Surgical Simulation at the Guinness Eye Centre, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos.
The development is expected to transform specialist training in eye care by embedding simulation-based learning into clinical education, with the goal of improving surgical precision, reducing complications and enhancing patient outcomes across Nigeria and the wider West African region.
The facility, delivered through a partnership involving the Faculty of Ophthalmology of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), LUTH and the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, is designed to provide world-class hands-on training in phacoemulsification cataract surgery and vitreoretinal procedures for ophthalmologists in training and practice.
Speaking at the inauguration on Friday, Chairman of the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, Dr. Tunji Olowolafe, said the project represents a shift in how Nigeria must approach professional development in the health sector, stressing that continuous learning and retraining are essential to maintaining competence in modern medicine.
He said the initiative was inspired by a presentation from the Faculty of Ophthalmology during its 2025 Faculty Lecture, which highlighted the need for advanced simulation tools in surgical training.
“Sometime in July 2025, there was a Faculty Lecture of the Faculty of Ophthalmology. Some of your colleagues, led by Dr. Festus Oshoba, engaged us. They shared their vision for the machine, their plan, and what they needed to get started. I was deeply impressed, and right then, we decided to help acquire the EyeSi Surgical Simulation Machine,” he said.
Olowolafe explained that the simulator provides a safe, controlled environment where surgeons can repeatedly practise delicate procedures, receive objective feedback and steadily improve their skills without any risk to patients.
“This machine gives surgeons—whether qualified last year or thirty years ago—a place to practice delicate movements over and over. It gives honest feedback, and it lets you come back the next day to get better,” he said.
The entrepreneur and academic lamented what he described as a widespread culture in Nigeria where professional certification is wrongly seen as the end of learning rather than the beginning of continuous development.
“If I may be candid, across almost every profession and vocation in Nigeria, we don’t place enough value on continuous education. Once we qualify, we collect a certificate, and we consider the job done for life.
“We make the mistake of thinking training is only for things we do not know. But the most vital training is in what we already know—reminding ourselves, over and over again,” he said.
According to him, the EyeSi Surgical Simulator not only reinforces existing knowledge but also exposes practitioners to emerging techniques while helping them unlearn outdated practices.
“This machine doesn’t care where or when you qualified. It lets you train, and it forces you to unlearn—which is usually the harder part. When you train people properly, everything improves: patient outcomes, livelihoods, and the nation as a whole,” he added.
Olowolafe, who is also Pro-Chancellor of Miva Open University, called for the establishment of similar simulation centres across medical institutions in Nigeria to institutionalise continuous professional retraining.
He reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to supporting innovative interventions that will position Nigerian ophthalmology among the leading specialties on the African continent.
Expressing appreciation for the honour bestowed on his late wife, he said: “On behalf of the entire Olowolafe family, we are deeply thankful to the Faculty of Ophthalmology for honouring my late wife, Gbemisola Olowolafe, by naming this Centre after her. It means more to us than words can fully express.”
He also commended NPMCN and LUTH for providing a home for the Centre at the Guinness Eye Centre.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Faculty of Ophthalmology of the NPMCN, Professor Charles Bekibele, described the development as the realisation of a vision that had spanned more than three decades.
He noted that many Nigerian trainee ophthalmologists had previously been compelled to travel to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh for advanced training in phacoemulsification cataract and vitreoretinal surgery.
Bekibele expressed confidence that the new facility would revolutionise ophthalmic surgical training in Nigeria, improve patient outcomes, reduce surgical complications and position the country as a regional hub for advanced eye care education in West Africa.
The Gbemisola Olowolafe Centre for Ophthalmic Surgical Simulation is equipped with immersive virtual reality technology that provides step-by-step training in cataract and vitreoretinal procedures.
The Centre recently admitted its inaugural cohort of six trainees, including participants from Kaduna and Onitsha.
The pioneer trainees described the simulator’s tissue-response system as highly realistic, praising its ability to support coordinated two-hand surgical practice.
They expressed optimism that the facility would significantly reduce the need for overseas training among Nigerian ophthalmologists.
With the deployment of the cutting-edge simulation technology, stakeholders say the Centre is set to strengthen ophthalmic education, deepen continuous professional development, and produce a new generation of highly skilled eye surgeons for Nigeria and the wider West African region.
Gbenga Sodeinde
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