Abstract
Background: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic allergic eye disease, which is more prevalent in hot and dry regions of Africa. It tends to occur primarily in children and when left untreated it may lead to permanent visual loss due to corneal complications such as corneal scars, astigmatism, and keratoconus. The study seeks to examine the relationship between vernal keratoconjunctivitis and the use of kerosene or firewood in Ekurhuleni and further examine this relationship by the following risk factors; socio-demographic characteristics, environmental risk factors, health status, and hygienic practices. Methods: We conducted a case-control study of 405 randomly selected parents of children who had their children’s eyes examined in Ekurhuleni Health District clinics. VKC registers were reviewed to obtain information about cases and controls. Parents of selected children were then interviewed using a structured questionnaire to obtain information on risk factors. We fitted a logistic regression to examine relationships between risk factors associated with VKC...
M.A. (Public Health)