Eye protection practices and symptoms among welders in the Limpopo Province of South Africa+

Welding is associated with several ocular and systemic hazards especially where adequate protective measures are not taken.  The purpose of this project was to study the eye protection practices and symptoms among welders in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Questionnaires designed to investigate eye protection practices and symptoms experienced were completed byone hundred and fifty (150) welders. The types of welding done were shielded metal arc (84%), oxyacetylene gas (4%) and silver brazing (12%). The number of years spent in the welding industry ranged from one to 10 years with a mean of 5 ± 3.1 years and the number of hours of welding per day ranged from one to 10 hours with a mean of 6 ± 2.1 hours. A large percentage of the welders (89%) reported wearing protective devices when welding and the most common protective devices used by the welders were: helmets (57%), goggles(22%), and face shields (15%). Six percent used inefficient protective devices such as sunglasses.   Sixty one percent reported occasional exposure to welding flashes when not wearing any eye protection. Welding-related eye symptoms reported included foreign body sensation (18%), persistent after-images (31%), and watery eyes (50%).  Al- though the majority of the welders wore protective devices while welding, a few did not always use such devices while others used sunglasses for protection.  Moreover, many of the welders were occasionally, and only a few were always, exposed to welding flashes when protective devices were not used. Therefore, we concluded that eye protectionpractices amongst the welders appeared to be inadequate to avoid hazards associated with welding.  It is recommended that an eye protection educational campaign for welders should form part of the SouthAfrican Government’s workplace safety program

Tissue functions mediated by β3-adrenoceptors—findings and challenges

As β3-adrenoceptor agonists metamorphose from experimental tools into therapeutic drugs, it is vital to obtain a comprehensive picture of the cell and tissue functions mediated by this receptor subtype in humans. Human tissues with proven functions and/or a high expression of β3-adrenoceptors include the urinary bladder, the gall bladder, and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. While several other β3-adrenoceptor functions have been proposed based on results obtained in animals, their relevance to humans remains uncertain. For instance, β3-adrenoceptors perform an important role in thermogenesis and lipolysis in rodent brown and white adipose tissue, respectively, but their role in humans appears less significant. Moreover, the use of tools such as the agonist BRL 37344 and the antagonist SR59230A to demonstrate functional involvement of β3-adrenoceptors may lead in many cases to misleading conclusions as they can also interact with other β-adrenoceptor subtypes or even non-adrenoceptor targets. In conclusion, we propose that many responses attributed to β3-adrenoceptor stimulation may need re-evaluation in the light of the development of more selective tools. Moreover, findings in experimental animals need to be extended to humans in order to better understand the potential additional indications and side effects of the β3-adrenoceptor agonists that are beginning to enter clinical medicine

Oculo-visual status of the welders in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province of South Africa*

The process of welding can lead to several ocular disorders when adequate protective precautions are not taken. There is a possibility that welders in the Limpopo Province of South Africa are not taking adequate precautions due to lack of knowledge on the adverse effects of welding. Good vision is also important for effective and injury-free welding.  This study therefore screened welders in the Capricorn district of the Limpopo Province for oculo-visual disorders.  Case history established visual symptoms among the welders and ophthalmic tests such as visual acuity (VA) measurement, pinhole, ophthalmoscopy, external assessment of the adnexa and Amsler grid were used to determine their oculo-visual status.  One hundred and fifty welders were included in the study and their ages ranged from 18 to 65 years with a mean of 39 ± 14.9 years.   Reduced distance vision was reported by 32% of the welders, 14% reported reduced vision at near; 43% reported double vision and 11% reported colour vision anomaly.   Forty seven percent of the welders had VA less than 6/6 at distance and 8% could only read 1M or larger print at near Following the pinhole test, there was no improvement in 7% of the welders who had VA less than 6/6, indicating a possibility of pathological conditions. Amsler grid showed that 6% of the welders had possible macular disorders. Ophthalmoscopy and external observations revealed that 7% of the welders had cup disc ratio (H/V) of more than 0.6/0.5, Fourteen percentage (14%) had pterygia and 5% had pinguecula.  The study established that although many of the welders had normal oculo visual status, there were a few with ocular disorders which warrant further assessment and managemen by eye care professionals

Two decades of optometric education in Ghana: Update and recent developments*

Many authors have reported on the evolution and trends of optometric education in Africa. Amongst these are articles on Optometry and optometric education in Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Ethiopia. This article reports the historical perspectives of optometric education in Ghana and the developments that have been made in the last 20 years. It also attempts to relate the stride made towards legal recognition of optometry in Ghana. In presenting this historical account, it is hoped that sometime in the future, one should be able to look back at the beginning of optometry training in Ghana and be able to measure the advancement or otherwise that have been made since its inception. (S Afr Optom 2011 70(3) 136-141