[Functional outcomes and prognostic factors of firearm-related ocular trauma among soldiers in the conflict zones of Cameroon]. / Résultats fonctionnels et facteurs pronostiques des traumatismes oculaires par armes à feu chez les militaires en zones de conflits au Cameroun.

PURPOSE: To study prognostic factors and functional visual outcomes of soldiers after firearm-related ocular trauma in the conflict zone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out from January 2017 to December 2022 in the ophthalmology departments of three military hospitals. Soldiers with firearm-related ocular trauma were selected. Epidemiological and clinical data, prognostic factors and functional outcomes were studied. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM-SPSS version 23.0 software. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed, and a P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 162 eyes of 136 patients were included. The mean age was 28.93±6.52 years. All patients were male. Improvised firearms were the most frequent cause (77%). Bilateral involvement was observed in 26 patients (19.1%). The mean visual acuity of the affected eyes was 1.66±1.04logMAR on admission. Closed globe injuries predominated (72%). The most frequent anatomical lesions of the globe were hyphema (23.4%) and vitreous hemorrhage (19.7%). The mean final visual acuity was 1.38±1.17logMAR, and blindness was observed in 50% of eyes. Factors influencing final visual acuity were type of trauma, initial visual acuity, hyphema and vitreous hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: Blindness due to firearm-related eye injuries in the conflict zone of Cameroon is common. Wearing protective glasses or visors might reduce its frequency.

[Correlation between refraction and axial length in Albinos]. / Corrélation entre la réfraction et la longueur axiale du sujet Albinos.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between refraction and ocular axial length in albinos. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, analytical study was carried out from June to November 2021 at the Central Hospital of Yaounde (Cameroon), which included consenting albino subjects aged over 15years. All subjects underwent visual acuity testing, axial length measurements and objective refraction under cycloplegia. RESULTS: We included 51 albino subjects. The mean age was 26.06±9.47years, and the sex ratio was 0.5. Type 2 oculocutaneous albinism (OCA2) was predominant, representing 82.4% of cases. The mean uncorrected visual acuity was 0.93±0.25 logMAR, and the most common ametropia was myopic astigmatism (52.9%). The mean axial length was 24.65±2.54mm with extremes of 21.54 and 30.33mm. Eyes with myopia and myopic astigmatism had significantly longer axial lengths than those with hyperopic and mixed astigmatism. A strong, significant negative correlation (r=-0.93; P˂0.001) between the spherical component of the refraction and axial length was found. CONCLUSION: The spherical component of the refraction decreases significantly with increasing axial length in albinos.

[Influence of tropical endemic limboconjunctivitis on the distribution of astigmatism in a black pediatric population: A hospital-based case-control study]. / Influence de la limbo-conjonctivite endémique des tropiques sur la distribution de l'astigmatisme dans une population d'enfants mélanodermes camerounais : étude hospitalière cas-témoins.

PURPOSE: To study the influence of tropical endemic limboconjunctivitis (TELC) on the distribution of astigmatism in a population of black children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We matched two groups of 36 children between the ages of 3 and 15 by age and sex. Group 1 consisted of children with TELC, and group 2 was made up of controls. All underwent cycloplegic refraction. The studied variables were age, sex, type and stage of TELC, spherical equivalent, absolute cylinder value and clinical type of astigmatism. The odds ratio was used to quantify the link between TELC and astigmatism. We used the Chi2 test for the comparison of qualitative variables and the Student T test for the comparison of the means of quantitative variables. The threshold of significance of the differences was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Astigmatism was more common in children with TELC (61.97% vs. 37.5%), (OR=1.53; 95% CI 1.08-2.15; P=0.012). The history of TELC was associated with an increased risk of with-the-rule astigmatism (OR 1.91; 95%CI (1.23-2.97). CONCLUSION: Pediatric TELC is frequently associated with the with-the-rule astigmatism in our practice setting.

[Measurement of lacrimal secretion in patients with tropical endemic limbo-conjunctivitis: A case control study]. / Mesure de la sécrétion lacrymale chez les patients avec une limbo-conjonctivite endémique des tropiques : étude cas-témoins.

PURPOSE: To evaluate lacrimal secretion in patients with tropical endemic limboconjunctivitis (TELC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We carried out a case-control study at Douala Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital and in Yaoundé Central Hospital from June 10th, 2016 to September 10th, 2019. We selected patients with TELC for the first group and patients followed for ametropia as the second. In the case group, we studied the duration of symptoms and the type of TELC. For both groups, the tear film break-up time (BUT) was considered abnormal if less than 10sec. Lacrimal secretion was measured with Schirmer 1 test. Hyposecretion was defined as a Schirmer 1 test result≤10mm. RESULTS: Forty patients and 40 controls were involved in the study, and 80 eyes were examined for each group. The mean age was 8.8±3.7 years. The mean duration of symptoms was 14.2±13.1 months. The mixed and palpebral forms were the most common, at 47% and 28%, respectively. We noted an unstable tear film in 48 eyes of cases and 8 eyes of controls (P<0.01). Lacrimal hyposecretion was founded in 41 eyes of cases compared to 8 eyes of the control group (P<0.01). A high risk of lacrimal hyposecretion was associated with TELC (OR=3.1; P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Tropical endemic limboconjunctivitis increases the risk of lacrimal hyposecretion.