Eballe André Omgbwa, Bella Lucienne Assumpta, Owono Didier, Mbome Sylviane, Mvogo Côme Ebana
Hôpital gynéco-obstétrique et pédiatrique de Yaoundé, BP 4362 Yaoundé, Cameroun.
Sante. 2009 Apr-Jun;19(2):61-6. doi: 10.1684/san.2009.0158.
This prospective study was conducted in the ophthalmology department of the Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital in Yaoundé and included 422 children recruited from January to April 2008. The aim was to identify the eye diseases seen frequently seen in school-aged children from 6 to 15 years and examine their epidemiological characteristics.
The study group included 201 boys and 221 girls, with a mean age of 10,3 +/- 3.2 years. The most frequent disease was ametropia (refractive errors, 43.1%), including hyperopia, which had a prevalence of 23.7% Conjunctival disorders came next, accounting for 33%, more than half due to tropical endemic limbo conjunctivitis (17.8%). Binocular blindness affected 0.9% (n = 4), and low vision 0.7% (n = 3).
This study, the first in its kind for the age group of 6-15 years in a developing country, allowed us to identify refractive errors as the principal complaint in consultations and led us to propose a reinforcement of screening in schools.
