Prediction of cycloplegic refraction for noninvasive screening of children for refractive error.

Detection of refractive error in children is crucial to avoid amblyopia and its impact on quality of life. We here performed a retrospective study in order to develop prediction models for spherical and cylinder refraction in children. The enrolled 1221 eyes of 617 children were divided into three groups: the development group (710 eyes of 359 children), the validation group (385 eyes of 194 children), and the comparison group (126 eyes of 64 children).

Relations Among Corneal Curvature, Thickness, and Volume in Keratoconus as Evaluated by Anterior Segment-Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: To provide insight into the mechanism underlying corneal deformation in keratoconus, we examined the relations among corneal curvature, thickness, and volume as well as the association of corneal scar formation with these parameters.

Methods: A total of 288 corneas of 174 keratoconus patients and 114 corneas of 57 control subjects were examined by anterior segment-optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Anterior and posterior refractive values, corneal thickness (CT), and corneal volume (CV) were determined by AS-OCT for both control and keratoconic eyes.

Social constructions of gender roles, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS in two communities of the Western Cape, South Africa.

The links between gender roles, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS risk are complex and culturally specific. In this qualitative study we investigated how women and men in two black communities in the Western Cape, South Africa, constructed their gender identities and roles, how they understood gender-based violence, and what they believed about the links between gender relations and HIV risk. First we conducted 16 key informant interviews with members of relevant stakeholder organisations.