ABSTRACT.Purpose: This study aimed to identify the main ocular complications of leprosy in Cameroon. Patients and Methods: It is a prospective cross-sectional study which took place from July 1998 to January 1999 in five leprosaria in Cameroon. The ophthalmological examination of all patients was performed by the same team. Results: Of the 218 patients examined, 60.1% were males and 39.9% females. 72.5% had a paucibacillary leprosy and 27.5% a multibacillary form. 77.5% of patients had at least one ocular lesion and 38.3% of eyes had visual acuity AE1/ 10. Madarosis and anterior uveitis were more frequent in multibacillary forms while lagophthalmos and cataract were so in paucibacillary forms. Conclusion: Ocular complications are frequent in leprosy in Cameroonians. It is a true public health problem and it is important to prevent these lesions by early diagnosis and adequate treatment.

Purpose: We undertook this study with the aim to determine static ametropias of black Cameroonians as well as their clinical manifestations. It is a prospective study carried out in the Department of Ophthalmology of Douala General Hospital from January 1996 to December 1998. Patients and Method: During this period, all patients who fulfilled our criteria had a skiascopy done under cycloplegia. We thus examined 2,484 patients (4,968 eyes). 66.2% of them were female and 33.8% were male. Results: In our series, hyperopia was found in 51% of the cases, hyperopic astigmatism in 27.5% of the cases, myopic astigmatism in 9.3% of cases, mixed astigmatism in 7.7% of cases and myopia in 4.5% of cases. Distribution of ametropias is influenced by age, not by sex or laterality. Discussion and Conclusion: Functional signs just have an indicative value; only objective refraction under cycloplegia can determine exactly the ametropia.

Objectif: Afin de dégager les caractéristiques épidémiologiques des uvéites dans notre contexte camerounais, nous avons réalisé une étude rétrospective en milieu hospitalier. Patients et méthode: 38 patients sur 5420 ont consulté pour une uvéite sur une période de 6 ans (0,7%). Cette population comportait 13 femmes et 25 hommes. Leurs âges variaient de 10 ans à 57 ans, pour une moyenne de 33,9 ans. Résultats: 81,6% des uvéites étaient unilatérales et la forme clinique antérieure était la plus fréquente avec 51,1% des cas. Une étiologie a été identifiée ou suspectée chez 24 patients (63,1%), au premier rang desquelles la sinusite (45,8%), suivie par la toxoplasmose (29,2%). L’étude de la fonction visuelle a révélé que le traitement médical était généralement efficace (72,2% d’améliorations), bien que 2 patients (3 yeux) aient perdu la vue. Discussion et conclusion: Malgré sa rareté, cette pathologie nous interpelle donc du fait des difficultés du diagnostic étiologique, mais aussi de son évolution inéluctable, dans certains cas, vers la cécité.