Feasibility and acceptance of artificial intelligence-based diabetic retinopathy screening in Rwanda.

Background: Evidence on the practical application of artificial intelligence (AI)-based diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening is needed.

Methods: Consented participants were screened for DR using retinal imaging with AI interpretation from March 2021 to June 2021 at four diabetes clinics in Rwanda. Additionally, images were graded by a UK National Health System-certified retinal image grader.

Use of the World Health Organization primary eye care protocol to investigate the ocular health status of school children in Rwanda.

Purpose: To assess the ocular health status of primary and secondary schoolchildren in Rwanda and to explore the use of the World Health Organization (WHO) primary eye care screening protocol.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional population-based study across 19 schools in Rwanda. Initial screening was carried out using the WHO screening protocol, whereby visual acuity was measured using a tumbling E Snellen chart (6/60 and 6/12).

Impact of Artificial Intelligence Assessment of Diabetic Retinopathy on Referral Service Uptake in a Low-Resource Setting: The RAIDERS Randomized Trial.

Purpose: This trial was designed to determine if artificial intelligence (AI)-supported diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening improved referral uptake in Rwanda.

Design: The Rwanda Artificial Intelligence for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening (RAIDERS) study was an investigator-masked, parallel-group randomized controlled trial.

Participants: Patients ≥ 18 years of age with known diabetes who required referral for DR based on AI interpretation.

Incidence of Visually Impairing Cataracts Among Older Adults in Kenya.

Importance: Half of all the cases of blindness worldwide are associated with cataract. Cataract disproportionately affects people living in low- and middle-income countries and persons of African descent.

Objective: To estimate the 6-year cumulative incidence of visually impairing cataract in adult participants in the Nakuru Eye Disease Cohort Study in Kenya.

Improving eye care in Rwanda.

Problem: Visual impairment affects nearly 285 million people worldwide. Although there has been much progress in combating the burden of visual impairment through initiatives such as VISION 2020, barriers to progress, especially in African countries, remain high.

Approach: The Rwandan Ministry of Health has formed partnerships with several nongovernmental organizations and has worked to integrate their efforts to prevent and treat visual impairment, including presbyopia.

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis in school children in Rwanda: clinical presentation, impact on school attendance, and access to medical care.

Objective: We sought to describe the clinical presentation, effect on visual acuity, impact on school attendance, and access to appropriate eye care in children with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) in Rwanda (Central Africa).

Design: Case-control study nested within a cross-sectional survey.

Participants: We examined 3041 children; 121 had VKC.

Topical ciclosporin in the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis in Rwanda, Central Africa: a prospective, randomised, double-masked, controlled clinical trial.

Aim: To compare the short-term efficiency and safety of topical ciclosporin A (CsA) 2% with dexamethasone 0.1% in the treatment of predominantly limbal vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) in Rwanda, Central Africa.

Methods: Consecutive patients with VKC were randomised in a prospective, double-masked, clinical trial to receive either topical CsA 2% dissolved in olive oil vehicle or dexamethasone 0.

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis in school children in Rwanda and its association with socio-economic status: a population-based survey.

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is an allergic eye disease and an important cause of hospital referral among children in Africa and Asia. Hospital-based studies have suggested a role for parasites in its pathogenesis. To determine the prevalence and risk factors for VKC in Central Africa, we conducted a nested population-based case control study in Rwanda, involving randomly selected primary schools from different environments (rural/urban) and climate.

Estimating incidence of vision-reducing cataract in Africa: a new model with implications for program targets.

Objective: To estimate the incidence of vision-reducing cataract in sub-Saharan Africa and use these data to calculate cataract surgical rates (CSR) needed to eliminate blindness and visual impairment due to cataract.

Methods: Using data from recent population-based, standardized, rapid-assessment surveys, we calculated the age-specific prevalence of cataract (including operated and unoperated eyes) from surveys in 7 "districts" across Africa. This was done at 3 levels of visual acuity.

Rapid assessment of avoidable blindness in Western Rwanda: blindness in a postconflict setting.

Background: The World Health Organization estimates that there were 37 million blind people in 2002 and that the prevalence of blindness was 9% among adults in Africa aged 50 years or older. Recent surveys indicate that this figure may be overestimated, while a survey from southern Sudan suggested that postconflict areas are particularly vulnerable to blindness. The aim of this study was to conduct a Rapid Assessment for Avoidable Blindness to estimate the magnitude and causes of visual impairment in people aged > or = 50 y in the postconflict area of the Western Province of Rwanda, which includes one-quarter of the population of Rwanda.