Prevalence and causes of blindness at a tertiary hospital in Douala, Cameroon

André Omgbwa Eballé1,4, Côme Ebana Mvogo1,3, Godefroy Koki2, Nyouma Mounè3, Cyrille Teutu5, Augustin Ellong2,3, Assumpta Lucienne Bella2,41Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon; 2Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon; 3General Hospital of Douala, Ophthalmology Unit, Douala, Cameroon; 4Cameroon National Blindness Control Programme, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon; 5Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Mountain University, Banganté, CameroonPurpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and causes of bilateral and unilateral blindness in the town of Douala and its environs based on data from the ophthalmic unit of a tertiary hospital in Douala.Methods: We conducted a retrospective epidemiological survey of consultations at the eye unit of the Douala General Hospital over the last 20 years (from January 1, 1990 to December 31, 2009).Results: Out of the 1927 cases of blindness, 1000 were unilateral, corresponding to a hospital prevalence of 1.84% and 927 cases were bilateral, corresponding to a hospital prevalence of 1.71%. No statistically significant difference was noted between the two (P = 0.14). The leading causes of bilateral blindness were cataract (50.1%), glaucoma (19.7%), and diabetic retinopathy (7.8%) while the leading causes of unilateral blindness were cataract (40.4%), glaucoma (14.1%), and retinal detachment (9.1%). Cataract (51.2%), cortical blindness (16.3%), and congenital glaucoma (10%) were the leading causes of bilateral blindness in children aged less than 10 years.Conclusion: Blindness remains a public health problem in the Douala region with a hospital prevalence which is relatively higher than the national estimate given by the National Blindness Control Program.Keywords: bilateral blindness, unilateral blindness, prevalence, Douala, Cameroo

Age de début de la presbytie chez le sujet noir camerounais

Introduction: la prescription d'une addition dans notre pratique n'est pas rare chez les patients de moins de 40 ans. Nous avons recherché le besoin d'une addition après étude objective de la réfraction et partant déterminer l'âge moyen de début de la presbytie. Méthodes: nous avons mené une étude transversale et descriptive à l'Hôpital Central de Yaoundé durant trois mois chez les patients âgés de 35 à 45 ans. Ils ont tous bénéficié d'une étude objective de la réfraction sous cycloplégie. La correction de la vision de loin était faite sous cycloplégie, alors que l'addition en vison de près était évaluée deux jours plus tard lorsque la cycloplégie n'était plus effective. La prescription probable d'une addition à la correction de loin devait être réalisée 2 jours après la cycloplégie. L'analyse statistique a été faite avec le logiciel IBM SPSS 20.0. Résultats: nous avons examiné 55 patients soit 110 yeux. L'âge moyen des patients était de 41,87±2,5 ans, avec un sex-ratio de 0,28 en faveur des femmes. L'astigmatisme hypermétropique était l'amétropie la plus fréquente avec 58,2% de cas suivi de l'hypermétropie avec 24,6%. Nous n'avons retrouvé aucun sujet myope. L'âge moyen de début de la presbytie dans cette tranche d'âge était de 43,2±1,7 ans. Après correction objective en vision de loin, aucun patient n'avait besoin d'une addition avant 40 ans. Par ailleurs, 4 patients sur 10 avec une amétropie hypermétropique n'ont pas besoin d'addition avant 45 ans. La prescription d'une addition était liée de façon significative à l'âge. Conclusion: l'âge moyen de début de la presbytie est de 43,2±1,7 ans. Avant 45 ans, toute prescription d'une addition doit être précédée d'une étude objective de la réfraction

Central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in the Cameroonian nonglaucomatous population

André Omgbwa Eballe1, Godefroy Koki2, Augustin Ellong2, Didier Owono2, Emilienne Epée2, Lucienne Assumpta Bella2, Côme Ebana Mvogo1, Jeanne Mayouego Kouam21Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceuticals Sciences, University of Douala; 2Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé, CameroonAim: We performed a prospective, analytical study from 01 January to 31 March 2009 in the Ophthalmology Unit of the Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital of Yaounde, aiming to determine the profile of central corneal thickness (CCT) in the Cameroonian nonglaucomatous black population and its relationship with intraocular pressure (IOP).Results and discussion: Four hundred and eighty-five patients (970 eyes) meeting our ­inclusion criteria were selected for this study. The average CCT was 529.29 ± 35.9 µm in the right eye (95% confidence interval [CI]: 526.09–532.49), 528.19 ± 35.9 µm in the left eye (95% CI: 524.99–531.40) and 528.74 ± 35.89 µm in both eyes (95% CI: 526.48–531.00), range 440 to 670 µm. The average IOP was 13.01 ± 2.97 mmHg in both eyes (95% CI: 12.82–13.19). A rise in CCT by 100 µm was followed by an increase in IOP of about 2.8 mmHg (95% CI: 2.3–3.6) for both eyes taken together. Linear regression analysis showed that corneal thickness was negatively correlated with age and IOP was positively related with age.Conclusion: CCT in the Cameroonian nonglaucomatous black population was found to be lower compared with CCT values in Caucasian and Asian populations. On the basis of reference values ranging between 527 and 560 µm, an adjustment of IOP values by a correction factor is required for many Cameroonian patients. This will improve the diagnosis and follow-up of glaucoma by helping to detect true ocular hypertension.Keywords: central corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, Cameroo

Micro and macrovascular complications of diabetes mellitus in Cameroon: risk factors and effect of diabetic check-up -a monocentric observational study

Abstract Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of vascular complications among diabetes patients (DP), to find out th