A comparison of goldmann applanation tonometry and rebound tonometry measurements among patients attending a glaucoma clinic in Southwest Nigeria.

Background: The accurate measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) is a fundamental basic examination in daily ophthalmic practice and is important in managing many ophthalmic diseases and conditions such as glaucoma, uveitis, and following trauma. Accurate measurement of IOP is particularly important in glaucoma because the intraocular pressure is the most important modifiable risk factor in its management. Aim: To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements obtained with the Goldmann applanation (GAT) tonometer to intraocular pressure measurements obtained with the iCare rebound tonometer (RBT) and evaluate the suitability of the iCare tonometer for routine clinical use among adult patients attending a glaucoma clinic in Southwest, Nigeria. Patients and Methods: The study was a comparative cross-sectional study. A total of 132 eyes of 132 patients were recruited for the study. Three consecutive IOP measurements were obtained with each of the instruments by the same observer. A difference in IOP of ± 3 mmHg between the two instruments was considered clinically significant in this study. Results: The mean IOP measurement from GAT was 15.18 mmHg (±4.26 mmHg) and 16.32 mmHg (±4.48 mmHg) from RBT. The mean central cornea thickness was 520.66 µm (±33.34). Pearson's correlation (r = 0.84) revealed a strong statistically significant correlation between GAT and RBT measurements and paired student t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in the means of IOP obtained by the GAT and RBT. There was a tendency for RBT to yield higher IOP measurements. Conclusion: The intraocular pressure measurements obtained with iCare RBT and GAT though strongly correlated, showed statistically significant differences in the means. The impact of central cornea thickness on measurements obtained by GAT and RBT was statistically insignificant. The iCare rebound tonometer, cannot replace GAT for routine use in the glaucoma clinic.

Refractive aim and visual outcome after phacoemulsification: A 2-year review from a Tertiary Private Eye Hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa.

AIM: To review the short-term visual outcome of phacoemulsification in adults with uncomplicated cataracts in Eye Foundation Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of records of patients that had phacoemulsification between January 2012 and December 2013 in Eye Foundation Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria, was done. Preoperative visual acuity, refractive aim, intraoperative complications, postoperative unaided, and best-corrected visual acuity at 1 and 3 months were analyzed. Only eyes of adults that had phacoemulsification for uncomplicated cataracts were included in the study, all pediatric cataracts and eyes with ocular comorbidities were excluded. Common ocular comorbidities excluded were corneal opacity/corneal scar, glaucoma, uveitis, pseudo exfoliation syndrome, moderate and severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, macula edema, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, eye trauma, age-related macular degeneration, previous corneal surgery, glaucoma surgery, and previous or simultaneous vitreoretinal surgery. RESULTS: A total of 157 eyes of 119 patients who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. There were 60 (50.4%) females and 59 (49.6%) males, with age range from 31 to 91 years and a mean of 65.3 ± 11.10 years. Only eyes with available data were analyzed at 1 and 3 months postoperatively. In 112 eyes (85.7%), the refractive aim was met, 21 eyes (14.3%) did not meet their refractive aim, 20 eyes (12.7%) were excluded, the refractive aim could not be determined from the records as surgeons did not specify, and in 4 eyes, the required information was missing from the case files. An unaided visual acuity of 6/18 and better was achieved in 134 eyes (85.4%) at 1 month and 126 eyes (85.9%) at 3 months whereas best-corrected vision of 6/18 and better was achieved by 145 eyes (92.4%) at 1 month and 146 eyes (98.0%) at 3 months. CONCLUSION: Surgical outcomes after phacoemulsification are comparable with international benchmarks for good outcomes, with 85.4% of eyes achieving within 1 D of spherical equivalent of the refractive aim, 92.4% and 98.0% of eyes also achieving best-corrected visual acuities of 6/18 and better at 1 and 3 postoperative months, respectively. Unaided vision of 6/18 and better was also achieved in 85.4% and 85.9% at 1 and 3 postoperative months, respectively.