Background: The development of human resources for eye health (HReH), aimed at achieving a 25% reduction in visual impairment by the year 2020, was one of the VISION 2020 objectives.Aim: To assess HReH in the public sector of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and its effect on the accessibility of eye care in the province.Setting: All public eye facilities in KZN.Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study using a close-ended questionnaire to assess distribution and outputs of HReH. At the end of the questionnaire, respondents gave general comments on their ability to provide services.Results: Human resource rates were 0.89 for ophthalmologists, 2.44 for cataract surgeons, 4.8 for optometrists and 4.7 for ophthalmic nurses per 1 million population. Most health facilities had some HReH working in them, albeit none had dispensing opticians. Regression analysis showed that 67.1% of variation in cataract surgery was because of the number of surgeons available. Cataract surgical rates were low with a waiting period of up to 18 months. In addition to the refractive error regression analysis of 33.7%, spectacle supply was low, with a backlog of up to 9 months in some facilities.Conclusion: Overall, HReH targets as per VISION 2020 and the National Prevention of Blindness have not been met in this region. Dispensing opticians are not employed in any of the province’s health districts. An increase in the eye health workforce is necessary to improve the eye health outcomes for people dependent on public eye facilities.
Background: Uncorrected refractive error (URE) and subsequent visual impairment (VI) is expected to have an impact on the quality of life (QoL) amongst schoolchildren.Aim: This study aimed to determine the impact of URE and VI on the QoL amongst school-going children aged 14–18 years.Settings: The study was performed at Sekhukhune district in the Limpopo province, South Africa.Methods: The tool used to assess the QoL was the National Eye Institute Quality of Life Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25). A modified refractive error study in children (RESC) protocol was employed to determine the value of URE and VI. The tests performed included Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (LogMAR) visual acuity, cycloplegic autorefraction, binocular motor function tests, media and fundus examination.Results: A total of 154 learners, aged 14–18 years completed the NEI-VFQ-25, which was offered in an interview format. A total of 56 learners (36.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 14.9–27.9]) had URE and VI. Children with URE and VI scored low on the NEI-VFQ-25 as compared with those without URE and VI.Conclusion: Uncorrected refractive error has an impact on the QoL of learners in the greater Sekhukhune district. This calls for policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in basic education to prioritise programmes that seek to address the visual health of scholars in rural schools.
Refractive errors, particularly myopia, pose a serious challenge on the individual and society. Hashemi Hassan et al. 5 recently indicated that globally, 11.7% of children are myopic, whilst a further 4.6% and 4.9% have hypermetropia and astigmatism, respectively. 5 Moreover, the prevalence of RE differs from region to region, with the highest prevalence in the Asian populations, where China has a prevalence of 20.6%, 6 followed by India with 10.2%, 7 Saudi Arabia with 18.6% 8 and Vietnam with 19.4%. 9 Several studies conducted in Chile, the United States and Cambodia reveal RE prevalence values of 18.79%, 10 13.1% 11 and 6.5%, 12 respectively. In Africa, Ghana had an RE prevalence value of 3.7%, 13 Nigeria 11.5%, 14 Ethiopia 6.3%, 15 Egypt 2.2% 16 and South Africa 7.1%, as shown in Table 1. 17 The African continent has shown a comparatively low Background: Refractive error (RE) and visual impairment (VI) remain major problems affecting school-going children worldwide. Aim:To determine the prevalence and distribution of VI and RE in school-going children aged 6-18 years. Setting:The study was conducted in Sekhukhune District, Limpopo, South Africa.Methods: A multistage random sampling method was used to select school-going children aged 6-18 years from Grades 1 to 12. A total of 326 learners went through eye examinations, which included visual acuity (VA) measurement using a logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution chart, autorefraction under cycloplegia and ocular health assessment. Results:The prevalence of uncorrected, presenting and best-corrected VA of 0.30 M or worse in the better eye was 12.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.70-15.80), 12.3% (95% CI, 8.70-15.80) and 2.1% (95% CI, 0.60-3.70), respectively. Refractive error accounted for 80% (95% CI, 67.6-92.4) of all causes of VI. Myopia was the most prevalent RE (50.7%; 95% CI, 38.8-62.7), followed by astigmatism (36%; 95% CI, 24.3-47.3) and hypermetropia (13.6%; 95% CI, 5.30-21.6). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of RE and VI between males (50.7%; 95% CI, 38.8-62.7) and females (49.3%; 95% CI, 37.3-61.2). Refractive error and VI were higher amongst children aged 14-18 years: 56.7% (95% CI, 44.9-68.6) and 60% (95% CI, 44.8-75.20), respectively. Conclusion:The prevalence of RE and VI amongst school-going children in Sekhukhune District was high, highlighting the need for school visual screening and strategies to address these conditions in that area.
Background: Global studies show that the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness continued to rise despite the implementation of strategies outlined in the Global Action Plan, aimed at reducing these by the year 2020. Vision impairment impacts negatively on one’s independence, opportunities, and quality of life. Therefore, knowledge of the prevalence, and the major causes of blindness impairment in any population, is vital in designing strategies to address this public health challenge. Methods: Literature mapping evidence of vision impairment was searched for on PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCOhost databases MEDLINE, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Health Source – Consumer Edition, CINAHL, and Academic Search Complete. Studies that were searched for included peer-reviewed and grey literature published in English from various countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Results: Only 77 studies with 191,173 participants, contributing data from 26 countries within SSA, met the inclusion criteria for the final review. The overall pooled prevalence estimate (PPE) of blindness from the selected studies was 10% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.0% – 11.0%). West Africa and East Africa had the highest prevalence. The identified leading causes of blindness were cataracts (46%; 95% CI: 40% – 52%), followed by glaucoma (14%; 95% CI: 11% – 18%). There was a high level of heterogeneity in most pooled estimates (I2 ˃ 80%, p < .001). Conclusion: The prevalence of blindness in SSA has increased in all four regions with most cases being avoidable. Policymakers should prioritise blindness prevention programmes, ensure enabling health systems, and provide the necessary resources towards reducing blindness in SSA.
Personal safety and fear of sexual harassment may discourage women from participating at work and in public life, limiting their life opportunities. The study proposed to determine personal safety and fear of sexual harassment among female garment workers in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 201 female garment workers from Dhaka and Chittagong cities. Participants were selected using snowballing sampling techniques with the data collected by using anonymised questionnaires. The Pearson product–moment correlation and analysis of variance were employed using SPSS version 27.0. Results showed that 25% of the participants perceived that they were most likely to be sexually harassed by their manager and 25% never felt safe going to work. Age and the marital status of the participants were significantly associated with personal safety and fear of sexual harassment (p < 0.05). The correlation analysis found a significant positive correlation between personal safety and the fear of sexual harassment [r (201) = 0.85 **, p < 0.05], among the participants. A deep commitment from leadership with cooperation at all levels of the organisations is required to address these acts of violence and organisational conditions, rather than a form of unreflective compliance or a ‘gender-neutral’ approach that fails to recognise individual needs and maintain gender inequality.
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