Myopia: A public health crisis in waiting
The prevalence of myopia and high myopia is on the rise across the world. Recent work from the Brien Holden Vision Institute estimates that by 2050, five billion (50%) people will be myopic, one billion (10%) highly myopic. This may have important implications for planning comprehensive eye care services, including refractive services such as spectacles and contact lenses for correcting and slowing myopia progression. Optical and environmental interventions can help in preventing and managing high myopia related ocular complications and reduce the burden of myopia.
Artificial intelligence in healthcare
Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is the use of complex algorithms and software to emulate human cognition in the analysis of complicated medical data. Specifically, AI is the ability for computer algorithms to approximate conclusions without direct human input.
Coronavirus – the facts
– Ed The latest outbreak of a new coronavirus in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has caused huge concern worldwide. Not only is the coronavirus life-threatening, but can also cause economic devastation. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are closely monitoring developments around the outbreak caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first identified […]
From Darkness to Light: Adama’s Story
Adama was five months pregnant when the world around her started to flicker and fade. Because of clouded, disc-like cataracts in her eyes, soon all she could see were shadows and shapes. Months passed as her vision continued to dwindle. “Maybe it will clear up after I give birth,” she told herself, hoping that the loss of sight was somehow linked to her pregnancy.
Mercy Ships. Bringing salvation to the poorest
Mercy Ships is an international faith-based organization, bringing hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor. Since 1978, Mercy Ships have delivered services to more than 2.71 million direct beneficiaries. The countries served by Mercy Ships are ranked as the poorest in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index.
Why do eyes swell after crying?
The watery component of tears is produced in the lacrimal glands near the eye and is essential for healthy eyes, keeping the eyes cleansed, protected and lubricated. Tears drain through the nasal cavity, which explains a runny nose after excess tear production.
Musicians and visual impairment
The young Ray began to lose his sight from the age of five and went completely blind at the age of seven. His blindness was probably due to glaucoma, which went undetected and untreated, no doubt due to the poverty in which he grew up, where medical treatment was unavailable. From 1937 he went to an institution for the deaf and blind in Sainte-Augustine, Florida. But his disability did not prevent him from learning to ride a bicycle or playing cards. Ray Charles used all his senses; he assessed distances using his hearing and learned to develop his memory.
How an optometrist can help visually-impaired learners who attend mainstream schools
Introduction It is not uncommon to find children who have low vision attending mainstream schools. These children have the mental capacity to cope with the educational demands; however, they still have to encounter visual challenges gallantly. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines a person with low vision as one who has impairment of visual functioning […]
Grace Vision. Angels of the Eastern Cape
Situated in the rural Eastern Cape at Zithulele Hospital near Coffee Bay, is a group of people who have devoted themselves to restore sight, dignity and life. Their aim is to reduce the prevalence of blindness and low vision in the rural communities of the Eastern Cape. This service is provided free of charge. By […]
Ready Readers – Traders obligation
It is worth noting the following obligation that all sellers of ready readers have in terms of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974). Ready readers: must only be supplied with the following warning attached to them and also displayed in close proximity to where the glasses are offered for sale, in […]