MMed, Ophthalmology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Aim: To describe and analyse donor demographics; source, utilisation and distribution of corneal tissue procured by the Gauteng cornea and eye bank (GCEB). To further establish the indications for penetrating keratoplasty done by private ophthalmologists in Johannesburg. Methods: A retrospective study of the records from the GCEB for the 8 year period from 1998 to 2005. An analysis for each year was done in respect of donor demographics; corneal donor tissue source and distribution. Records from selected corneal surgeons in private practice in Johannesburg were analysed for indications for penetrating keratoplasty. Results: During the study period, 2504 corneas were retrieved from 1252 donors. The average number of donors per year was 157 (Standard deviation: 20.01). There was a statistically significant increase in the number of donors over the study period (B-coefficient = 6.40, standard error=2, 07, p-value=0.02). Majority of donors were males (68.6%). The mean age of donors was 40.4 years (Standard deviation: 15.97) and ranged from 3 months to 78 years. Whites were in overwhelming majority compared to other races, accounting for 96% (number=1205), followed by Blacks 2% (number=24), Asians 1% (number=18) and Coloureds <1% (number=5). The proportion of donated corneas used for transplantation (corneal utilisation rate) averaged 87%. This rate showed a significant decline over the period studied (Bcoefficient= -1.76, standard error=0.48, p-value=0.01). The commonest reason for discarding corneas was damaged corneas (36%), followed by Human immunodeficiency virus infection (18%) and inconclusive blood results (14%). The majority of donated corneas were used in private practices (91%). vi The majority of donors were referred by mortuaries (50%) and private hospitals (37%). The commonest indication for penetrating keratoplasty was keratoconus (46.8%), followed by corneal scarring (27.8%) and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (10.1%) Conclusions: This analysis shows that the number of donors increased annually over the study period. There were very few Blacks donating corneas in Johannesburg and most of the referrals were from mortuaries and private hospitals. The distribution of corneal tissue in areas served by the Gauteng cornea and eye bank is in favour of private hospitals. Corneal tissue damage and HIV infection were the commonest reasons for discarding corneas. In private practices in Johannesburg, keratoconus was the commonest indication for penetrating keratoplasty, followed by traumatic corneal scarring.

Thesis (MPH) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / Topic An investigation of the visual and systemic symptoms experienced by computer users at the National Home Builders’ Registration Council (NHBRC) and British Petroleum (BP) in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Background The repetitive use of computers in the working places results in the visual and ergonomic disorders that affect the computer users adversely. The computer users experience fatigue which causes visual symptoms such as eyestrain, blurred vision, heaviness of the eyelids or forehead, dry eyes, sensitivity to light and irritatedeyes. The ergonomic disorders like neck pain, backache and wrist pain are also experienced by computer users. These conditions are collectively called Computer Vision Syndrome which is considered as an occupational hazard. Uncorrected refractive errors and binocular anomalies can contribute to these symptoms. The visual and systemic symptoms that affect the computer users in the workplace need to be investigated. Purpose The purpose of the study was to subjectively investigate the visual and systemic symptoms experienced by computer users in the two selected companies in Gauteng Province South Africa. Methodology Structured questions, (open and close ended) were used to obtain information needed for this study. The questions covered demographic as well as information relating to the use of the computer such as the duration of working on computer, the offices/working environment, the appearance and the distance of the screen to the eyes, the working station and visual devices et cetera. Results Participants included 47 (72.3%) females and 17 (26.2%) males and their ages ranged from 20 to 59 years with the mean of 39.5 and the standard deviation of ± 13.1years. Many (80%) of the participants between the ages of 20 to 29 years reported experiencing eye strain. The highest (75%) percentage of slow refocus was reported by the participants that were between the ages of 30 to 39 years. Most males (58.8%) reported experiencing eye strain, slow refocus and headaches associated with computer use. The majority of the females (63.8%) reported experiencing eye strain, while (59.6%) experienced slow refocus and (51.1%) suffered from headaches. A higher percentage of males (23.5%) experienced wrist pain while lower (14.9%) of females experienced wrist pain. No males (0.0%) reported back pain and only a small (8.5%) of females reported back pain. Conclusion Based on the above findings, it is concluded that visual and the systemic symptoms associated with the use of the computer affected most of the workers from the two companies. The factors that may lead to the various symptoms experienced may be ergonomic (environmental) or visual or a combination of these. The environmental factors can be the angle of gaze to the computer screen or the illumination of the working area, while visual factors could be uncorrected refractive error or binocular anomaly. Other factors may include age and working for prolonged time looking at the computer monitor. These factors may then leads to symptoms like eye strain, slow refocus, blurred vision, headaches, dry eyes and systemic symptoms such as neck pain.