ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To estimate the frequency of exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and its association with ocular diseases in Northern Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients who presented to the outpatient department of ECWA Eye Hospital Kano from February 2015 to May 2015 were included in the study. Each patient had a complete ophthalmic examination. The anterior segment examination included tonometry, gonioscopy, and detailed slit-lamp examination to assess for the presence or absence of exfoliation material, inflammatory cells, and other abnormal findings. Patients with exfoliation material on the anterior lens surface and/or pupillary margin in either or both eyes were considered to have XFS. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16.0. RESULTS: A total of 620 patients living in Northern Nigeria from the 6 geopolitical zones were examined. The majority of them (34.5%) were indigenous Hausas. There was a male preponderance of 56.6%, while the mean age at presentation for examination in all age groups was 55.7±13.7 years. There were 9 patients with XFS; the frequency was 1.5%, with most of the patients being 70-80 years old. In patients who were ≥50 years, the frequency was 2.5%. Patients with XFS had a higher mean age of 68±4.9 years. The frequency of XFS among glaucoma patients was 4.4%, while among cataract patients it was 3.7%. No other associated ocular disease was found in the patients with XFS. CONCLUSION: This study shows that XFS does exist in Northern Nigeria, as was found in the South. The prevalence of XFS was, however, not reported in the Nigerian National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey. Therefore, a population-based study is still needed to determine the true prevalence of XFS in Northern Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To determine whether prior instillation of amethocaine would increase the rate and magnitude of tropicamide-induced pupillary dilatation in darkly pigmented irides. METHOD: A total of 50 healthy Africans aged 18-40 years, with darkly pigmented irides, received a drop of amethocaine in one eye and a drop of placebo in the contralateral eye, followed by two drops of tropicamide in both eyes. Serial pupil diameters were measured using a monocular infrared video pupillometer. Rate of pupillary dilatation was compared in both eyes. Survival statistics were calculated for the time taken to reach a clinically effective dilatation, clinically effective diameter (CED) of 6.0 mm. RESULTS: Mean difference in pupil diameters between amethocaine- and placebo-treated eyes was 0.30 ± 0.09 mm (P < 0.002). In all, 62% of amethocaine-treated eyes and only 46% of placebo-treated eyes reached the CED. CONCLUSION: We observed a small but statistically significant potentiating effect of a drop of amethocaine on tropicamide-induced dilatation within 20 minutes.
