Increased blood pressure (BP) and raised intraocular pressure (IOP) are probably both common oc-currences among the South African population. If left untreated both conditions have detrimentalcomplications. Previous cross-sectional studies suggested BP was positively related to IOP. This study therefore sets out to determine in a young South African adult population the correlation between systemic BP and IOP.  Systemic BP was measured using an electronic sphygmomanometer and IOP using a Goldman applanation tonometer. For all subjects, two averages were obtained fromthree measurements each of BP and IOP. Other clinical procedures such as uncompensated visual acuity (VA), pinhole and direct ophthalmoscopy were done to exclude underlying factors possiblyaffecting either BP or IOP before the commencement of the investigation. Two hundred (N = 200)subjects were included in the study and their ages ranged from 18 to 30 years with a mean of 21 ± 3.9 years. The correlation coefficients between average IOP and average systolic or diastolic BP respectively were 0.67 and 0.55. These weak positivecorrelations suggested that with an increase in BP there is a corresponding increase in IOP. Also, similar correlation between IOP and BP was found toexist amongst both males and females with systolic BP having a greater effect. This study validates theimportance of evaluating either systemic BP or IOP amongst all patients seen by primary eye-care practitioners, and that such evaluations should form part of daily routine patient examination.

Introduction. Whilst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination rollout is well underway, there is a concern in Africa where less than 2% of global vaccinations have occurred. In the absence of herd immunity, health promotion remains essential. YouTube has been widely utilised as a source of medical information in previous outbreaks and pandemics. There are limited data on COVID-19 information on YouTube videos, especially in languages widely spoken in Africa. This study investigated the quality and reliability of such videos. Methods. Medical information related to COVID-19 was analysed in 11 languages (English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Nigerian Pidgin, Hausa, Twi, Arabic, Amharic, French, and Swahili). Cohen’s Kappa was used to measure inter-rater reliability. A total of 562 videos were analysed. Viewer interaction metrics and video characteristics, source, and content type were collected. Quality was evaluated using the Medical Information Content Index (MICI) scale and reliability was evaluated by the modified DISCERN tool. Results. Kappa coefficient of agreement for all languages was p < 0.01 . Informative videos (471/562, 83.8%) accounted for the majority, whilst misleading videos (12/562, 2.13%) were minimal. Independent users (246/562, 43.8%) were the predominant source type. Transmission of information (477/562 videos, 84.9%) was most prevalent, whilst content covering screening or testing was reported in less than a third of all videos. The mean total MICI score was 5.75/5 (SD 4.25) and the mean total DISCERN score was 3.01/5 (SD 1.11). Conclusion. YouTube is an invaluable, easily accessible resource for information dissemination during health emergencies. Misleading videos are often a concern; however, our study found a negligible proportion. Whilst most videos were fairly reliable, the quality of videos was poor, especially noting a dearth of information covering screening or testing. Governments, academic institutions, and healthcare workers must harness the capability of digital platforms, such as YouTube to contain the spread of misinformation.

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