The prevalence of corneal disease in the coloured community of a Karoo town.
Corneal and other external eye diseases are very common in rural areas of southern Africa. A corneal survey was undertaken in Calvinia in the northwestern Cape to establish the incidence and nature of these disorders. Corneal diseases were found in 20,2% of the population and a further 8,4% had other external eye diseases, giving an overall incidence of 28,6%. However, many of the diseases were degenerative, their incidence rising rapidly with increasing age. Pterygium and climatic droplet keratopathy, both of which are related to actinic damage, were particularly common. The aetiology and management of the most frequently encountered diseases are discussed.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003229:Conjunctival Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population; D013019:South Africa