ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To study the relationship between exophthalmometric value (EV) and refractive error in Cameroonian young adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective descriptive study was carried out in the ophthalmic unit of the Yaoundé Central Hospital from March to May 2015. Consenting patients aged 20-40 years with no intraocular pathology who were seen for refractive errors were included. Ocular protrusion was measured using the Hertel exophthalmometer. Automatic refraction was done following cycloplegia with cyclopentolate and tropicamide. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients were included (68% females and 32% males). The mean age was 27.2±6 years. Hyperopia was the most common refractive error (51%), followed by hyperopic astigmatism (19.3%). EV varied between 9 mm and 23 mm, with a mean of 14.8±2.5 mm in the right eye and 15.0±2.5 mm in the left eye. The mean EVs were 17.10±2.80 mm in myopia, 14.24±1.92 mm in hyperopia, 16.72±2.58 mm in myopic astigmatism, 14.07±2.19 mm in hyperopic astigmatism, and 14.77±2.40 mm in mixed astigmatism. The spherical value had a negative correlation with EV (P=0.0000). CONCLUSION: The mean EV of this Cameroonian population is smaller than that of other populations and is consistent with the known characteristic hyperopic status of the population. A study on a larger sample will determine the normative data of absolute and relative EV in our setting.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To describe the different corneal pathologies and determine the prevalence of corneal blindness amongst children aged 0-15 years, seen at the ophthalmology unit of a tertiary hospital in Cameroon. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of all patients who presented to the Ophthalmic Unit between 2002 and 2010 were reviewed, retrospectively. The records of children aged 0-15 years, presenting with corneal pathologies, were further reviewed. Data collected included age, sex, past medical history, initial visual acuity, type of corneal lesion, and visual acuity at last follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 7,922 children seen over the study period, 168 had corneal pathologies: a prevalence of 2.1%. Males were more affected than females (male to female ratio: 1.4:1; P = 0.008). The age range was from 2 weeks to 15 years (mean age: 7.1 years; standard deviation: 4.4 years). The leading etiologies were trauma (48.2%; n = 81) and infection (28.0%; n = 47). Amongst those with available follow-up data, visual impairment and blindness occurred in 50% of the cases (n = 12), with one case being bilateral. CONCLUSION: Trauma is the most frequent cause of corneal blindness in children.
