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Background: Vision disorders are a public health problem as they cause a delay in academic progress and affect learners' future career. Teachers spend most of the time with children at school and can help in the early identification and referral of children with visual problems. Aim: To evaluate the knowledge of Grade R to Grade 3 teachers on children's visual problems before and after educating them on the different visual disorders that affect learners in the classroom. Setting: Low socio-economic status (Quintile 1) schools in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Methods: Convenience sampling was carried out to include Grade R to Grade 3 teachers from 11 Quintile 1 schools. In this quantitative study, two questionnaires with nine items each were administered to determine the teachers' knowledge. A 45-min educational session on common vision disorders was presented by the researcher. The teachers were classified as having good knowledge if they obtained seven or more correct answers in each questionnaire. Results: Thirty-six female teachers participated in the study. Most of the participants (72.22%) were in the age group of 36 years and older, and 44.44% had been teaching for more than 10 years. Thirty-four participants (94.44%) obtained an overall score of seven and higher before the educational session, and all participants obtained a score of seven and higher after the educational session. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001) between the scores of participants before and after the educational session. Conclusion: The Foundation Phase teachers had adequate knowledge about common visual problems. The educational session was beneficial as it enhanced the teachers' knowledge.

Background: South Africa has a high mortality rate because of road traffic accidents (RTAs) compared to other countries. Aim: To determine the visual functions and their association with the occurrence of RTAs among vehicle drivers in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Setting: Eight driver's license testing centres (DLTCs) in the Gauteng province. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving a multi-stage random sampling approach was conducted. Data collected using the questionnaire included participants' demographic details. Ocular health examination included the measurement of visual acuity (VA), refractive errors, visual fields, colour vision, stereopsis, contrast and glare sensitivity. Results: A total of 579 motor vehicle drivers were enrolled in this study. Drivers who reported daily alcohol consumption had a higher risk of being involved in RTAs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 1.09-2.99, P = 0.02). Visual acuity (OR = 1.43, 95%CI = 0.99-2.06, P = 0.05), refractive errors (P = 0.03, Χ² = 61.57), abnormal contrast sensitivity (OR = 0.53, 95%CI = 0.31-0.93, P = 0.03) and deutan colour vision defects (P = 0.002, Χ² = 31.42) were significantly associated with RTAs. Visual field defects (OR = 0.98, 95%CI = 0.97-1.00, P = 0.09), stereopsis anomaly (OR = 1.00, 95%CI = 0.99-1.00, P = 0.35) and abnormal glare sensitivity (OR = 1.00, 95%CI = 0.99-1.01, P = 0.32) were not significantly associated with the occurrence of RTAs. Conclusion: These results suggest reviewing the visual requirements for obtaining a driver's license by incorporating colour vision and contrast sensitivity assessment. Contribution: The study addresses a gap in the country's current vision testing standards for driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of color vision deficiency (CVD) and create awareness about the burden of CVD among drivers. Methodology: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 3486 participants (men, n = 2789) who applied for/renewed their drivers' licenses in Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). All drivers had their visual acuity (VA) and color vision measured using standard procedures and the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The overall prevalence of CVD was 3.13% (95% CI: 2.59–3.75). No participants had visual impairment (best-corrected distance VA worse than 6/18) and no female driver had CVD. The prevalence of CVD among the male drivers was 3.91% (95% CI: 3.25–4.69), and more among the younger drivers (18–29 years). Conclusion: Although the prevalence of CVD was low, to ensure inclusivity and the safety of all road users in the UAE, it is recommended that traffic lights and road signs that mainly use connotative color coding be adapted to include denotative clues which can be interpreted by drivers with CVD. A prospective study in all approved eye testing centers for drivers should be conducted to obtain representative CVD data of drivers in the UAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:  Poor visual functions have been reported to be related to the occurrence of road traffic accidents., Aim:  To review the association between visual function and road traffic accidents (RTAs) from published relevant empirical studies., Setting:  Worldwide., Methods:  A random effects (RE) model meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 18. Statistical tests conducted include meta-summary statistics, RE meta-analysis (forest plot), meta-regression (relationship between mean age and effect sizes), funnel plots, Egger's and Begg's tests for publication bias and small study effects., Results:  A total of 17 relevant studies, which were either cross-sectional or observational by design, were included in the meta-analysis. Reported effect sizes were within computed confidence intervals (CI) at 95%. The computed Q test of homogeneity was 61.94. The overall mean effect size of 1.43 (95% CI of 0.985-1.883) was statistically significant at a 5% level (Z = 6.26; p  0.001). The I-squared = 62.17% (p = 0.00) confirmed moderate heterogeneity and the Q-value of 61.94 (p = 0.00) rejected the null hypothesis that the effect size was the same in all the studies. The funnel plot showed that the remaining majority of 13 studies were within the funnel plot on the right-hand side of the line of no effect., Conclusion:  These results provide evidence of associations between visual functions and RTAs, and highlight the need for targeted interventions and further research to address the challenges associated with impaired visual functions and road safety.Contributions: The study contributes to the understanding of the implications of visual functions for road safety.

Objective: To describe the rational for, and the methods that will be employed to develop, the WHO package of eye care interventions (PECI)., Methods and Analysis: The development of the package will be conducted in four steps: (1) selection of eye conditions (for which interventions will be included in the package) based on epidemiological data on the causes of vision impairment and blindness, prevalence estimates of eye conditions and health facility data; (2) identification of interventions and related evidence for the selected eye conditions from clinical practice guidelines and high-quality systematic reviews by a technical working group; (3) expert agreement on the inclusion of eye care interventions in the package and the description of resources required for the provision of the selected interventions; and (4) peer review. The project will be led by the WHO Vision Programme in collaboration with Cochrane Eyes and Vision. A Technical Advisory Group, comprised of public health and clinical experts in the field, will provide technical input throughout all stages of development., Results: After considering the feedback of Technical Advisory Group members and reviewing-related evidence, a final list of eye conditions for which interventions will be included in the package has been collated., Conclusion: The PECI will support Ministries of Health in prioritising, planning, budgeting and integrating eye care interventions into health systems. It is anticipated that the PECI will be available for use in 2021., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)