Masters Degrees (Optometry)
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Browsing Masters Degrees (Optometry) by Author "Mashige, Khathutshelo Percy."
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Item The availability and accessibility of low vision services in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions of Ghana.(2018) Kyeremeh, Sylvester.; Mashige, Khathutshelo Percy.Background: The prevalence of low vision on the African continent is generally high and varies across and within countries, as well as in people of different socioeconomic status. While regional studies on the prevalence of blindness and low vision in Ghana have been conducted, there is a lack of information on the availability and accessibility of low vision services in these regions. The aim of the study was to assess the availability and accessibility of low vision services in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana. Methods: This was a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study design. Hand-delivered semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect information from eye care professionals selected from 58 eye care facilities within the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana. In addition, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 29 low vision patients from the same regions. Results: Forty-four eye care facilities from the Ashanti region and 10 from the Brong Ahafo region responded to the questionnaire, giving an overall response rate of 93%. A total of 29 patients including 16 males and 13 females with a mean age of 33.79±17.42 years were interviewed from four different eye care facilities. Out of 50 eye care facilities who reported that they had low vision patients attending their clinics, 33 (66%) did not provide low vision services and 17 (34%) offered some form of this service. Eleven out of 15 (73.3%) patients reported that it was either difficult or very difficult to acquire optical low vision devices while 10 (83.3%) out of 12 patients reported the same about non-optical low vision devices. Of the 15 patients who responded to the questions on where they obtained their optical devices, 7 (47%) reported that they were donated to them, 2 (13%) obtained them from the market while 6 (40%) reported getting their devices from the hospitals or eye care facilities. For non-optical devices, the patients reported obtaining them from the market 5 (31%) and through donations 5 (31%). Others obtained them from the society for the blind 2 (15%), hospitals or eye clinics 2 (15%) and a resource centre 1 (8%). Barriers to the provision and uptake of low vision services included the lack of testing equipment, lack of assistive devices and high cost of services. Conclusions: Availability and accessibility of low vision services are limited in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions. These findings should help to inform interventions to make low vision services available and accessible as well as to overcome the barriers to providing and utilising these services to minimise the impact of visual impairment.Item Patient's knowledge of diabetes, its ocular complications and management in a private practice population in the Western Cape, South Africa.(2011) Phillips, Kevin Clyde.; Mashige, Khathutshelo Percy.; Clarke-Farr, P.The aim of this study was to determine management regimens and level of knowledge of diabetes and its‟ ocular complications among private patients in a sample of the population of the Western Cape region of South Africa. A population-based cross-sectional study design, using purposive accidental random sampling, was used. Questionnaires completed by diabetic patients who fund their condition privately outside of the South African Public Health sector were used. One hundred and twenty-two subjects participated in the research, 66 (54%) males and 56 (46%) females. There were 73 rural and 49 urban participants. The overall sample mean BMI was 30.7, average fasting plasma glucose (FPG) 8.1 mmol/l and the majority of respondents did not perform a daily FPG test or know the significance of the HbA1c test. The majority of participants were unaware of the serious ocular consequences of prolonged hyperglycaemia. Sixty-seven percent of respondents considered that they knew enough about diabetes to manage their own condition. From the data it is apparent that private patients‟ knowledge of the systemic and ocular complications of diabetes is sub-optimal. Whilst the majority considered annual eye examinations as important, less than one-third of respondents actually undertook them. Optometrists should be offered programmes to enhance their skills and co-manage and educate diabetic patients with other health care practitioners on a formal basis. Health insurance institutions should take cognisance of the value of patient education and preventative diabetic management and incentivize patients and health care providers in this regard.Item Refractive errors, visual impairment and utilization of spectacles among primary school children in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria.(2018) Ezinne, Ngozika Esther.; Mashige, Khathutshelo Percy.Aim: To establish the visual status and utilization of spectacles among primary school children in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria. Methods: A stratified random cluster sampling procedure was used to select children aged 5- 15 years old from grades 1 to 6 in primary schools, with 1020 children in 102 clusters being enumerated, of whom 998 (97.8%) were examined. The examination included visual acuity, retinoscopy, auto-refraction under cycloplegia, and examination of the anterior segment, media and fundus. Results: The 998 children consisted of 554 (55.5%) females and 444 (44.5%) males, with their mean age being 9.01± 2.5 years. The prevalence of uncorrected, presenting and best corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse in the better eye was 9.7%, 7.7% and 1.3% respectively. Refractive error accounted for 86.6% of all causes of visual impairment (best corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse in the better eye). Myopia was the most prevalent refractive error (46.4%), followed by astigmatism (36.1%) and hyperopia (17.5%). Myopia (of at least −0.50 D) in one or both eyes was present in 46.4% of the children when measured with retinoscopy, and 49.5% when measured with auto-refraction. Astigmatism (of –0.50DC or less) was present in 36.1% of the children when with retinoscopy and auto-refraction. Hyperopia (+2.00D or more) in at least one eye was present in 21.6% of children with auto-refraction and 17.5% with retinoscopy. Refractive error and visual impairment were significantly more prevalent in females than in males (P = 0.04).Refractive error was highest among children 11−13 year old, while visual impairment was highest among children 5−7 years old. The rate of wearing spectacles among children with visual acuity of 20/40 or worse in one or both eyes was 20.6%. The major reason for non-compliance with spectacle wear among the children was disapproval from their parents. Conclusion: The prevalence of refractive error and visual impairment among primary school children in Onitsha was high while spectacle utilization rate was low. This highlights the need for services and strategies to address refractive error, visual impairment and compliance with spectacle utilization in this region.