ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To review the visual status and clinical presentation of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). METHODOLOGY: Multicenter, retrospective, and analytical review was conducted of the visual status and clinical characteristics of patients with RP at first presentation from January 2007 to December 2011. Main outcome measure was the World Health Organization's visual status classification in relation to sex and age at presentation. Data analysis by SPSS (version 15) and statistical significance was assumed at P<0.05. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-two eyes of 96 patients with mean age of 39.08±18.5 years and mode of 25 years constituted the study population; 55 (57.3%) were males and 41 (42.7%) females. Loss of vision 67 (69.8%) and night blindness 56 (58.3%) were the leading symptoms. Twenty-one (21.9%) patients had a positive family history, with RP present in their siblings 15 (71.4%), grandparents 11 (52.3%), and parents 4 (19.4%). Forty (41.7%) were blind at presentation and 23 (24%) were visually impaired. Blindness in six (15%) patients was secondary to glaucoma. Retinal vascular narrowing and retinal pigmentary changes of varying severity were present in all patients. Thirty-five (36.5%) had maculopathy, 36 (37.5%) refractive error, 19 (20%) lenticular opacities, and eleven (11.5%) had glaucoma. RP was typical in 85 patients (88.5%). Older patients had higher rates of blindness at presentation (P=0.005); blindness and visual impairment rate at presentation were higher in males than females (P=0.029). CONCLUSION: Clinical presentation with advanced diseases, higher blindness rate in older patients, sex-related difference in blindness/visual impairment rates, as well as high glaucoma blindness in RP patients requires urgent attention in southwestern Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and causes of ocular morbidity, visual impairment and blindness, and suggest strategies for blindness prevention in a rural population. DESIGN: A population-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: Imesi-Ile, in Obokun local government area of Osun State, Nigeria. METHODS: All participants had preliminary interview and screening consisting of vision assessment using an illiterate E-chart and anterior segment hand light examination at their houses. Those who had signs and symptoms of ocular disease were offered comprehensive eye examination at the base hospital, including visual acuity using illiterate E-chart and refraction, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, gonioscopy, applanation tonometry and dilated fundus examination as necessary. RESULTS: Of the 2201 patients examined, 298 (13.5%) had signs and symptoms of ocular disease. This consisted of 153 male (51.3%) and 145 (48.7%) female patients. Their ages ranged between 8 and 92 years, with a peak age range of 41-70 years (45.6%). Most of them had never seen an eye care specialist for appropriate ophthalmic care. The common eye problems encountered were cataract (48.0%), glaucoma (21.1%), allergic conjunctivitis (16.4%), refractive errors (12.4%), age-related macular degeneration (0.7%) and corneal opacities (0.7%). Thirty-two eyes of 27 persons (1.2%) (22 monocular and 5 binocular) were blind by the World Health Organisation definition. Cataract was the leading cause of blindness (44.4%), followed by glaucoma (33.3%), macular degeneration (7.4%), corneal opacity (7.4%), optic atrophy (3.7%) and phthisis bulbi (3.7%). CONCLUSION: A significant proportion (13.5%) of people in this community had ocular diseases which require treatment. The role of primary eye care health workers in a rural community as Imesi-Ile cannot be overemphasised.
