Suchergebnisse

The purpose of the study was to determine the epidemiology of ocular disorders and visual impairment among junior high school children in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. A cross-sectional study was conducted among junior high school children from both public and private schools. Participants underwent ophthalmic examination that included visual acuity testing, external eye examination, fundus examination, cover testing, and objective and subjective refraction. Socioeconomic statuses of the children were also determined. A principal cause of visual impairment was determined for participants with uncorrected visual acuities of 6/12 or worse in the better eyes. A total of 1252 were enumerated and 1029 children examined. Overall, ocular disorders were found among 104 (10.1%) pupils: refractive errors (37), conjunctival disorders (33), eyelid disorders (5), corneal disorders (4), retinal disorders (4), heterophoria (14), heterotropia (3), and amblyopia (4). Prevalence of visual impairment of 6/12 or worse in the better eye was 47 (4.6%), with refractive error being the major cause accounting for 37 (78.7%). Other causes were amblyopia, 4 (8.5%); retinal disorders, 4 (8.5%); and corneal disorders, 2 (4.3%). By the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) criteria, mild and moderate visual impairment using the better eye was 7.3% and 1.1%, respectively. Visual impairment was not significantly associated with age, gender, or socioeconomic status. Only 209 (20.3%) school pupils had had a previous eye examination, among whom 7 were wearing glasses. Majority (754 [73.3%]) of pupils were within low socioeconomic status ( p < .001). The prevalence of eye disorders among junior high school pupils in the Cape Coast Metropolis was high compared to the global estimates. The cause of visual impairment was largely preventable, refractive error being the major cause. Uptake of eye care services among the school pupils was poor as majority of them had never had a previous eye examination. Incorporation of school eye screening programs into the school curriculum is recommended.

Public transport plays an important role in improving mobility for persons with visual impairment. Commercial drivers are major stakeholders in ensuring that there are efficient and accessible public transport systems on university campuses that have a relatively high number of persons with visual impairment. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 90 taxi drivers who operate their services on the campus of a tertiary inclusion school. The drivers were surveyed on their knowledge and practices in providing services to persons with visual impairment. The findings show that 55 (61.1%) drivers knew how to identify a pedestrian with a visual disability by looking out for the white cane. A total of 77 (85.6%) drivers have also adopted the practice of stopping for pedestrians to cross the road. However, only 20 (22.5%) respondents agreed to reserve the front seat for the passenger with visual impairment. Participants were not knowledgeable on the sections of the disability act relating to the provision of transport services to persons with visual impairment nor the kind of punishment associated with breaching the rules. The study provides recommendations on how to bridge the gap between the demands of the disability act and the practices of commercial drivers.

Reading with a magnifier is relatively slow for persons with moderate to severe visual impairment (MSVI). This study sought to investigate the effect of the page and text modifications such as page length reduction and introduction of guidelines in between sentences known to significantly improve the reading rate of persons with normal vision on the reading rate of persons with MSVI who use an optical aid for reading. A quasi-experimental study design was used to determine text and page modifications on the reading rate of sighted persons and moderate to severe visually impaired eyes. Modifications made to the reading materials included reducing the length of sentences on the pages, introducing guidelines in between the sentences, and a combination of both reducing the page length and introducing guidelines between the sentences. The reading rate of participants was calculated based on the time taken to complete the various reading tasks. The tasks were grouped into spot and fluent reading tasks. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). There were 19 visually impaired participants representing 34% of the total population recruited for the study. For spot reading, MSVI group achieved a 10-point significant improvement in their reading rate when alternating-colored guidelines were combined with reduced page length. The modifications did not significantly improve the fluent reading rate of the MSVI group. For both spot and fluent reading, introducing guidelines and reducing sentence length potentially provide a way to improve the reading rate of the visually impaired people who use an optical aid for reading. The practical implications of these results should be investigated in people with MSVI who use different optical aids for reading.