Teaching Style Preferences and Online Teaching Practices of Optometry Teachers During COVID-19: A Preliminary Study.

Purpose: Although research on teaching style preferences is available in the literature, there is limited information on the preferences of optometry teachers. The Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has impacted educational practices in all sectors. This study focuses on the teaching style preferences and online teaching practices of optometry teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods: The study used a case study research design and a self-administered online questionnaire and follow-up semi-structured interview for data collection. The Grasha-Riechmann teaching style inventory was used to explore the teaching style preferences (Expert, Formal Authority, Demonstrator, Facilitator and Delegator). Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis respectively. Results: The optometry teachers were aged between 29 and 51 years (median = 45 years) and had between 3 and 25 years of teaching experience (median = 5 years). All teachers scored high in the Expert teaching style and most had scores categorized as high for the Delegator, Facilitator and Formal Authority teaching styles. The teachers reported that the initial adaptation to online teaching was difficult and challenging as they were not prepared for the rapid transition to online learning. They used various resources and materials but felt that student participation and engagement was lower in online teaching. Teachers noted that more time was needed to prepare materials for online teaching than for face-to-face teaching. Conclusion: Optometry teachers adopted a multidimensional approach preferring the different teaching styles to varying degrees. Teachers noted challenges with the initial transition and adaptation to online teaching and used a combination of resources to support student learning.

Barriers and enablers to low vision care and rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa within a global context.

Low vision is an uncorrectable form of visual impairment that affect millions of people worldwide. Low vision care and rehabilitation are essential to improving the independence of affected individuals. Even though sub-Saharan Africa has one of the highest burdens of low vision globally, there are inadequate care and rehabilitation services in most countries and in some cases they are non-existent This scoping review aimed to identify the barriers and enablers to low vision care and rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa and assess these within the global context. The review was conducted using the five-step Arksey and O'Malley framework. Search terms were formulated based on the research questions and a search strategy was designed to search for eligible research articles from electronic databases; Pubmed, Ovid, Medline, and Embase. The data was screened by two members of the research team in accordance with set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Twenty-five out of 260 articles satisfied the inclusion criteria for the study. Inadequate low vision care infrastructure and supplies, non-standardised training of low vision care providers, health system failure and poor awareness of low vision care were the main barriers noted by eye care practitioners. Patients living with low vision cited the cost and availability of low vision aids, societal stigma, and poor awareness of services as the main barriers. No direct enablers were identified in sub-Saharan Africa; however, practitioners suggested improved training in low vision as a potential enabler. The barriers to low vision care and rehabilitation services identified were not unique to sub-Saharan Africa when viewed within a global context. Adopting and adapting solutions from other countries may therefore assist in improving low vision care and rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa.

Motivation for postgraduate studies by nonacademic optometrists: A case study at a South African university.

Background: An increasing number of optometrists who are nonacademics are pursuing postgraduate studies, despite such qualifications traditionally being more relevant to an academic rather than a clinical setting. Aim: This study set out to explore possible reasons for the increase in postgraduate studies by nonacademic optometrists and their experiences thereof. Setting: Postgraduate optometry students who were registered at a selected South African university within the period 2010-2020 participated in the study. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was used, which entailed an online survey and a follow-up questionnaire focused on the motivation for postgraduate studies, choice of institution, research area, expectations and outcomes and supervision received. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants, and data were analysed with descriptive statistics. Results: Responses were received from 54 optometrists who were pursuing postgraduate studies but not currently in academia. The main reasons reported for enrolling in postgraduate studies were interest in research (69.2%) and academia (61.5%). Institutional reputation was the reason provided by 48.1% of respondents for their choice of institution for their postgraduate studies. Fifty per cent of respondents opted for research in the public health field. To be a better researcher was the most common expectation (88.5%), with 73.1% indicating achieving this outcome. Most respondents indicated that they had received constructive and timeous supervision during their studies. Conclusion: Interest in research and academia are important factors influencing nonacademic optometrists to pursue postgraduate studies; however, the postgraduate experience is likely to also facilitate development of other professional and clinical skills. Contribution: This study provides an insight into the motivation and experiences of non academic optometrists who pursue postgraduate degrees.

Cataract surgery outcomes: comparison of the extracapsular cataract extraction and manual small incision cataract surgery techniques.

Background: Blindness and visual impairment are public health problems and constitute an important socio-economic burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the outcomes of cataract surgery will improve our knowledge of risk factors for poor outcomes. Previous studies have focused exclusively on the phacoemulsification technique with limited attention to the extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) techniques. Objectives: To compare the cataract surgery outcomes between the ECCE and MSICS techniques. Methods: The study was an observational research design that used the LogMAR visual acuity (VA) chart, subjective refraction, slit lamp and ophthalmoscope to collect data. The participants were followed for a period of six-weeks post-surgery and outcomes were recorded. Data were presented using frequencies, percentages and means ± standard deviation. Results: The sample included 101 participants, with a mean age of 66.32 ± 15.99 years. Fifty and 51 participants had undergone the ECCE and MSICS techniques respectively. Overall, one-hundred participants had poor pre-surgery VA and subjective refractions were generally not possible due to the severity of cataracts present. The mean aided post-surgery VA was 0.31 LogMAR and 0.13 LogMAR in the ECCE and MSICS groups respectively (p < 0.001). The mean post-surgery refractive astigmatism was similar in the ECCE (-2.06 D) and MSICS (-1.80 D) groups (p = 0.110). The spherical equivalence was approximately -0.50 D higher in the MSICS group, but not statistically significant (p = 0.330). Approximately one out of every five participants (n = 21) had post-surgery ocular complications such as corneal opacity and haziness as well as posterior capsular absence. Conclusions: The MSICS technique showed better post-surgery outcomes than the ECCE technique.

Distribution of anterior chamber angle measurements in South African young adults: an optical coherence tomography study.

PURPOSE: Assessment of anterior chamber angle (ACA) variables is important to screen, diagnose and monitor ocular anomalies. Even though data on ACA variables, such as angle-opening distance taken at 500 µm (AOD500) and trabecular-iris angle (TIA), are available in the literature, limited information is available about these variables in African sub-populations. The purpose of this study is to describe the distribution of ACA measurements (AOD500 and TIA) in a South African young adult population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 700 young adults were recruited from a university student population using two-stage random sampling. The Optovue iVue 100 optical coherence tomographer was used to measure the ACA variables. The distribution of the AOD500 and TIA measurements was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Data from only the right eyes were analysed because the ACA measurements in the two eyes showed high levels of interocular symmetry. RESULTS: The measurements for the nasal and temporal ACAs were asymmetrically distributed (p < 0.001). The median AOD500 measurements in the nasal and temporal angles were 539 µm and 542 µm, respectively. The median TIA measurements were similar (~ 36°) in the two horizontal angles. The temporal ACA measurements were slightly higher than the nasal ACA measurements. Females had higher median ACA measurements than males (p ≥ 0.029). CONCLUSION: The ACA measurements in South African young adults resemble non-Gaussian curves. The ACA measurements are different from that reported in other sub-populations worldwide and most participants had ACA measurements associated with non-occludable ACAs.

Characterization of Retinal Thickness in Individuals with Albinism: Baseline Data for a Black South African Population.

INTRODUCTION: The central retina is responsible for several visual functions and continues to develop postnatally. In albinism, which is a genetic disorder characterized by impaired melanin biosynthesis, the development of the central retina is prematurely arrested and results in foveal hypoplasia. Retinal thickness measurements can be determined non-invasively using optical coherence tomography systems. This article reports on the retinal thickness measurements of individuals with albinism in South Africa to aid in the assessment and management of affected individuals. METHODS: The study used a comparative research design and included 60 individuals (30 albinism and 30 controls) aged from 10 to 30 years who accessed the eye clinic at a tertiary institution in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Optovue iVue100 optical coherence tomographer was used to measure retinal thickness in the nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) sectors including the central foveal, parafoveal and perifoveal regions. Study data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The mean central foveal thickness was significantly higher in individuals with albinism compared with controls (289 µm versus 239 µm, p < 0.001). In contrast, control participants showed thicker retinal thickness measurements in the other ETDRS sectors (p < 0.001). The nasal and temporal quadrants were thickest and thinnest, respectively, in the parafoveal and perifoveal regions for the albinism and control groups. CONCLUSION: Individuals with albinism, aged from 10 to 30 years, have higher central foveal thickness but thinner retinal thickness measurements in the parafoveal and perifoveal regions. Optometric personnel should consider these measurements when assessing individuals with albinism with foveal retinal diseases.

Historical Development, Applications and Advances in Materials Used in Spectacle Lenses and Contact Lenses.

Lenses used in vision correction have evolved from the initial glass reading stone of the 10th century to the currently anticipated planar metalens made from "nanopillars" of titanium dioxide. With ideas from early scientific minds being translated into reality, and military commissioned concepts adapted for civilian use, spectacle lens and contact lens materials have progressed significantly over the last century, with the expectation of further lens material innovations ahead. The purpose of this article is a review of literature on the historical developments and advances in spectacle lens and contact lens materials.

Repeatability and reproducibility of retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurements with the iVue-100 optical coherence tomographer.

BACKGROUND: Accurate and repeatable measurements of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness are important in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma and other disorders. OBJECTIVE: To assess the repeatability and reproducibility of the iVue-100 optical coherence tomographer (OCT). METHODS: The thickness of the RNFL was measured for 50 healthy participants using the iVue-100 OCT. Although both eyes per participant were measured, only right eyes were analysed here. Repeatability and reproducibility of the iVue-100 OCT were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CoV), paired t-tests and Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: Good intra-observer repeatability was obtained as indicated by the ICC of observer 1 (range: 0.941 - 0.976) and observer 2 (range: 0.829 - 0.953) as well by the CoV of observer 1 (range: 0.098 - 0.137) and observer 2 (0.091 - 0.132). In terms of inter-observer reproducibility, significant differences (p< 0.05) in mean measurements between the observers were noted for the average RNFL readings and in the superior and inferior quadrants as assessed with paired t-tests. Even though significant inter-session differences were found for the average RNFL thickness and the superior quadrant (p = 0.003 and p = 0.013, respectively), excellent ICCs were obtained for inter-session reproducibility (range: 0.914 - 0.979). CONCLUSION: The iVue-100 OCT demonstrated good repeatability and reproducibility for RNFL thickness measurements.

Anterior and posterior segment parameters measured with Fourier domain optical coherence tomography in photopic and scotopic conditions.

PURPOSE: To compare anterior and posterior segment parameters measured with the iVue-100 optical coherence tomography (OCT) in photopic and scotopic conditions. METHODS: Central and peripheral corneal thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer and macula thickness were measured using the iVue-100 OCT in 47 healthy individuals at a higher education institution in photopic (958 lux) and scotopic (0.03 lux) conditions. RESULTS: As the lighting conditions changed from scotopic to photopic, a significant change in pupil size was noted (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in central corneal thickness measurements with this change in surrounding illumination with only the temporal peripheral corneal area showing a significant difference (3.44 µm thinner). No significant differences were found in the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness. A significant decrease in the reading was noted in only the inferior (P = 0.05) and temporal (P = 0.05) inner macula area. CONCLUSION: Change in the ambient lighting conditions does not result in a clinically significant difference in corneal, retinal nerve fiber layer, and macula thickness when measured with the iVue-100 OCT.