Dr Carel Masemola Shows that Blindness is not Always Permanent

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For Dr Carel Masemola, the most satisfying aspect of his work is restoring full sight to people who have been forced to live in darkness.

“I was always interested in health services, but never knew what kind of health professional I wanted to be,” he says. “Then, at the University of Limpopo, I had Pharmacy and Optometry as options. When I looked at Optometry, I knew that was it. The eyes are truly the windows of the soul, and restoring people’s sight completely changes their lives.”

“People blind from birth perceive the world differently. When they gain their sight, it’s remarkable how they respond to their surroundings. When people lose their sight, it has a profound impact on their quality of life and mental health. Being able to restore it genuinely feels like a miracle.”

Masemola’s PhD created a framework for eye-health promotion in primary health-care settings in his home province. The study examined the availability of eye-health interventions at primary healthcare services and their capacity to educate the public about the importance of eye care.

“Eye health is not well-factored in the primary health-care setting,” said his supervisor, Dr Zamadonda Xulu-Kasaba. “Sight is vitally important - we need it for learning, work, and quality of life. A hundred million people in Africa have eye diseases - more than half are entirely preventable. Masemola’s study is vital because he has developed a framework on which policies to improve eye health can be based.”

Masemola was raised by his grandparents in rural Limpopo. What he valued most about his upbringing was the absence of gender roles: “Whoever could do the job got to do the job!” Drawn to science from an early age, he always knew he would become both a health professional and an academic.

“I draw encouragement from seeing my students grow,” he says. “It is most rewarding to help them become better at their profession, so I am passionate about imparting knowledge.”

Masemola’s work ethic is palpable, and for this he credits his school days: “I was the bell-ringer at school,” he laughs, “and ever since I have been building my life around time management!”

He expressed deep appreciation for his supervisors, saying he never felt as though he was working on a PhD: “It felt more like collaborating on a project with timelines. We would discuss ideas, and my supervisors would help craft them into reality. It was a real journey; the way we reached our goals was much better than I had anticipated.”

Xulu-Kasaba was equally enthusiastic, “Masemola has already published six papers in high-impact journals, so his work is making a huge difference,” she said. “There is a perception that eye health is a luxury. Carel’s work is changing that by improving its accessibility and reach for all population groups.”

And so, for millions of people in Africa, better access to eye care would, quite literally, open their eyes to a better life.

Words: Matthew Hattingh

Photograph: Sethu Dlamini