​Zandile Mthimunye 

A total of 133 patients had their eyes checked as part of Tshwane District Hospital (TDH) eye clinic’s refraction marathon that took place recently.
Of these patients, 125 had refractive error, whilst the rest suffered from other eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataract, dry eyes, and vernal conjunctivitis.
Spectacles were dispensed to those with refractive error, and others were referred to the ophthalmologist for further treatment and management.
The purpose of this marathon was to clear the backlog of patients waiting for spectacles and to create awareness that the visual impairment due to refractive error can be prevented and the corrective devices are affordable in public hospitals.
Eye specialist, Khai Lam said a refractive error is a condition where the image of the object does not focus at the macula. The eye with refractive error can be compared to a camera that is out of focus.
World Health Organization (WHO) classifies the uncorrected refractive error as one of the leading causes of preventable visual impairment in the world.