A thin CCT has been identified as an independent risk factor for the development of glaucoma, and many studies have shown that people of African descent have thinner corneas than people of European descent. 7 A study by Sardiwalla et al. 9 which looked at the CCT of about 200 South Africans demonstrated that black South Africans had a lower mean CCT compared to Indian South Africans (512.4 µm vs. 526.5 µm). These findings were consistent with what has been reported before in multicentre studies such as the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS).Background: Corneal astigmatism and central corneal thickness are important clinical parameters for cataract surgery and glaucoma, respectively. There is very little research on the central corneal thickness and the prevalence and pattern of corneal astigmatism in black South Africans. Aim:The aim of this study was to analyse the corneal astigmatism and central corneal thickness of a large population of black South Africans awaiting cataract surgery.