Ocular injuries in female victims of domestic violence in Brazzaville (Congo)

Objective. In the traditional African society, the social status of women remains precarious. The spouse who has ''spent money to acquire'' a woman often claims to have''every right over her''. In some cases the woman is subjected to abuse that can lead to death. The aim of the study was to describe ocular injuries in women who were victims of domestic violence in Brazzaville. Design. Cross-sectional study conducted at the University Hospital of Brazzaville between January 2013 and December 2014 (2 years). Data was obtained using a questionnaire sheet. The following parameters were analyzed: age and level of education of spouses (below or above university) reason of dispute, mechanism of trauma and observed lesions. Subjects. Women admitted for an ocular injury that could jeopardize the visual and or vital prognosis (involvement of another vital organ during the same trauma) due to an incidence of domestic violence. Results. The study included a total of 15 women (and their corresponding 15 spouses). The average age of men and women was respectively 55 ± 10 and 35 ± 13 years. 73.33% of men had higher level of education compared to 53.33% of women. The main reasons of violence were jealousy (46.67%) and finance disputes (26.67%). The main mechanism of injury was a fist punch (80.00%), meanwhile, the major lesions observed were: bursting of the eyeball (40.00%) and fracture of the orbital floor (26.67%). Conclusion. In Brazzaville, domestic violence is responsible for ocular injuries leading to irreversible blindness

Glaucome néovasculaire: étiologies et difficultés liées à sa prise en charge à Brazzaville

INTRODUCTION: Le glaucome neovasculaire (GNV) est lie a une neovascularisation de l'angle iridocorneen secondaire a une hypoxie prolongee de la retine. Dans les pays occidentaux; son traitement est bien codifie et le pronostic est bien meilleur qu'a Brazzaville ou le GNV se termine souvent par une enucleation suite a une phtise hyperalgique ou a un eclatement spontane de l'oil. OBJECTIF: enumerer les principales etiologies du GNV et discuter des difficultes liees a sa prise en charge a Brazzaville. MATeRIELS ET MeTHODES: etude transversale; multicentrique (CHU/Brazzaville; Clinique Medicale de Brazzaville); realisee sur une periode de 7 ans sur la base de dossiers de patients vus pour un GNV. Le GNV etait defini par l'association d'une rubeose irienne et d'un tonus oculaire superieure a 21 mm Hg. Les parametres suivant etaient analyses: motifs de consultation; presentations cliniques; etiologies et traitements.ReSULTATS : 25 dossiers ont ete retenus (correspondant a 30 yeux souffrant de GNV). La douleur oculaire etait le principal motif de consultation (92%; 23/25 patients). La cornee etait opaque avec gonoscopie et fond d'oeil impossibles dans 83;33% des cas (25/30 yeux). Les etiologies etaient: diabete sucre (88%; 22/25 patients); occlusion de la veine centrale de la retine (12%; 3/25 patients). Perdus de vue 7/25 patients correspondant a 7/30 yeux. Le traitement consistait en enucleation (69;56%; 16/23 yeux); photocoagulation retinienne (21;74%; 5/23 yeux); et injection retrobulbaire de Chlorpromazine (8;70%; 2/23 yeux). CONCLUSION: Le diabete sucre est la principale etiologie du GNV a Brazzaville. Le manque de moyens techniques et les consultations tardives n'offrent que peu d'alternative therapeutique a l'enucleation qui reste largement malheureusement utilisee