[Strabismus in Cameroon].

PURPOSE

We undertook a study on strabismus in order to determine the characteristics of this disease in Cameroon.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A prospective study was carried out in the ophthalmological unit of the Douala General Hospital from November 1991 to October 1995. All patients were examined and followed regularly by the same team.

RESULTS

We found 137 strabismus, which represent 1.22% of all patients with 51 esotropias (37.2%) and 86 exotropias (62.8%). The mean age was 13.61 years at the first consultation. 82.4% of convergent strabismus appeared before the age of one year against 67.4% of divergent strabismus. Moreover, amblyopia was found in 68.6% and 59.3% of cases respectively.

CONCLUSION

As compared to European series, this study shows notably the great frequency of divergent squint in black africans and the fact that spontaneous evolution of the latter can lead to amblyopia in a large number of cases.