Glaucoma in a suburban tertiary care hospital in Nigeria

To determine the incidence and contribution of different types of glaucoma to blindness at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, a suburban tertiary care hospital in Edo State, Nigeria. Medical records of all new patients with glaucoma who presented to the eye clinic of the hospital from June 2007 to May 2009 were reviewed. Out of a total of 2,742 new patients seen over the study period, 177 [6.5%] subjects had glaucoma which included primary open angle glaucoma [130 cases, 73.4%], juvenile glaucoma [31 patients, 17.5%], secondary glaucoma [10 subjects, 5.6%], congenital glaucoma [3 cases, 1.7%] and primary angle closure glaucoma [3 persons, 1.7%]. Of patients with primary open angle glaucoma, 23 [17.7%] were blind based on visual acuity criteria and 67 [51.5%] were blind based on visual field criteria. Glaucoma remains a blinding scourge; late presentation, especially in rural areas, is an important factor predisposing to blindness. In this Nigerian population primary open angle glaucoma was the most prevalent subtype of the disease but primary angle closure glaucoma was rare

Histopathology of ocular tumor specimens in Benin city, Nigeria

To determine the histopathological diagnosis of ocular tumor specimens and to assess their correlation with preoperative clinical diagnosis. Surgical records of all patients who had undergone ocular surgery yielding a tissue specimen at the ophthalmology department of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria, from March 1999 to February 2007 were extracted. Parameters included age, sex, preoperative clinical diagnosis, type of surgery, and histopathological diagnosis. Overall, 148 patients including 88 male [59.5%] and 60 female [40.5%] subjects were operated during the study period. The most prevalent histopathological diagnoses included squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] of the conjunctiva and eyelids [16.9%], pterygium [12.2%] and retinoblastoma [10.8%]. Excisional conjunctival biopsies were performed in 30 cases to rule out SCC which was confirmed in 16 cases [53.3%]. Enucleation was performed in 19 children with suspicion of intraocular malignancy of whom 16 had retinoblastoma and one had teratoid medulloblastoma; yielding a correct clinical diagnosis in 89.5% of cases. Of 24 cases of enucleation in adults, the preoperative diagnosis was confirmed by histology in 21 cases [87.5%]. The preoperative diagnosis was confirmed histologically in 8 cases [53.3%] of 15 orbital specimens and 11 cases [50%] of 22 eyelid samples. The most common ophthalmic malignancies were SCC of the conjunctiva and eyelids, and retinoblastoma. Clinicopathological correlation was lowest in eyelid lesions and highest in enucleation specimens

Ocular volume determination in Nigerians

To determine the ocular volume in healthy Nigerian eyes. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of volunteers, staff and students of University of Benin Teaching Hospital [UBTH] and University of Benin, Nigeria. Measurements of the eyeball were taken on the B-mode image using a Medison's Sonoace 1500 ultrasound machine using a 6.5 MHz curvi-linear transducer placed over the closed eyelid. The vertical, horizontal and axial diameters of the eyes of healthy subjects were measured and used to compute the ocular volumes. The age and sex of the subjects were also recorded. Two hundred subjects comprising 125 females [62%] and 75 males [38%] were included in the study. The age range was 3-92 years and overall mean age was 41.48 +/- 23.26 years for both sexes. The mean eyeball volume was slightly larger for males than for females. [Males: Right eye=10.64ccm3, Left eye=10.37ccm3; Females: Right eye=10.59 ccm[3], Left eye=10.19 ccm[3]]. The difference was not statistically significant [P= 0.229]. The right eyeball volume was higher on the right for both males and females but the difference was not statistically significant [P= 0.198]. There was a gradual increase in eyeball volume with age. This study was able to generate normal eyeball volumes in a sample of Nigerians which hopefully will serve as reference for normal values in Black Africans