The study shows that refractive error is a common cause of VI and myopia is the most common type. It confirms that most of the refractive error can be corrected with off-the-shelf spectacles.

Purpose:To evaluate the epidemiological characteristics, the etiological factors, the type and severity of injury, visual outcome, and prognostic factors of open globe injuries in children.Materials and Methods:This was a retrospective non-comparative case study. A chart review was performed of patients aged 16 years or younger presented at the Eye Unit of the Federal Medical Centre Makurdi, Nigeria, between January 2001 and December 2006. Data were collected on patient demographics, geographic locale of injury, type of ocular injury and vision. Statistical significance was indicated by P < 0.05.Results:The study sample comprised 78 children. A statistically significantly greater number of males (n = 51) sustained injury compared to females (n = 27; P < 0.05). The mean age of the study sample was 9.7 ± 2.40 years (range, 1 year 2 months to 15 years 8 months). The age-group that sustained injury most commonly was 6 years to 10 years. Left eyes were more likely to be affected, accounting for 53 (68.0%) cases. There were 54% (n = 42) of patients injured at home and 51.0% (n = 40) were injured while playing. The most common injury was corneoscleral laceration, (67.9% [n = 24] eyes). Only 30.0% (n = 23) patients presented within the first 24 hours of the injury, 38.5% (n = 30) of patients were visually impaired and 25.6% (n = 20) patients were blind on presentation. Visual acuity at last follow up indicated that 39.7% (n = 31) patients were visually impaired and 39.7% (n = 31) were blind.Conclusion:More public health efforts should be geared towards preventing potential causes of ocular injury at home and at playgrounds.

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Background: Benue State has the highest rate of sero-prevalence to human immuno virus (HIV) infections among the ten hyper-endemic states in Nigeria. This study evaluates the pattern of ocular adnexal and anterior segment manifestations in HIV/AIDS patients attending the HIV clinic at the NAF Hospital in Makurdi, Benue State and assesses their effects on the visual functions of the patients. Methods: This is a hospital-based prospective study of all new patients who presented at the HIV clinic between October 2007 and March 2008. Ocular and systemic examinations were carried out and personal data including age, sex, place of abode, occupation and marital status were recorded for each patient. Results: A total of 322 patients were seen. The male to female ratio was 1:1.50. The age range was 4-68 years. The prevalence rate of anterior segment/ocular adnexal manifestation was 65.2%. Conjunctival microangiopathy was the commonest ocular adnexal/anterior segment presentation constituting 33.8% (highest anterior segment manifestation). Iridocyclitis constituted 27.14%, while herpes zoster ophthalmicus accounted for only 3.3% of the cases. The majority of the patients (95.1%) had normal visual acuity at presentation to the clinic. Twelve percent had visual impairment, while 5.0% presented with severe visual impairment. Conclusion: Conjunctival microangiopathy, iridocyclitis and molluscum contagiosum were the main anterior segment lesions observed in this study. Less than 2% of the patients had severe visual impairment or blindness at presentation to the clinic.

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