Ametropia is one of the leading causes of visual impairment. This study describes epidemiological and clinical aspects of ametropia as part of a free medical care program in Kinkala, Republic of Congo. Patients and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from August 25th to September 24th, 2019; patients presenting complaints suggestive of ametropia were evaluated. The ametropia was determined by the objective method under cyclopentolate eye drops according to the following protocol: 3 applications of one drop every 5 minutes, followed by auto-refractometry at least 45 minutes after the first instillation. The auto-refractometer gave us the objective refraction. An anatomical examination was performed in order to eliminate any organic pathology. Results: Of the 2352 patients received, only 137 patients were included in our survey. Of the 137, 14 were emmetropic. Astigmatism was the most common ametropia. Its axis reversed with age, with more than 65% of direct astigmatism before age 40. There was nearly 65% of reversed astigmatism at 60 years and over. In spherical equivalents, hyperopia accounted for more than 80% of ametropia. Conclusion: Ametropia in Kinkala is dominated by astigmatism. Spherical equivalent, hyperopia represents more than 80% of refractive error.

We evaluated refractive disorders in Albino children of Brazzaville and assessed their impact on the visual acuity of these children.Patients and method: Our study was conducted at the University Hospital of Brazzaville in October 2018 as part of a special program of the Congolese Association of Albinos aimed at providing glasses free of charge to albino children. This was a cross-sectional study of 32 children with oculocutaneous albinism.All children received a complete ophthalmological examination. Ametropia was measured by cycloplegic autorefraction performed approximately 45-60 minutes after topical instillation of 3 drops of 1% cyclopentolate administered 5 minutes apart.Results: All children had nystagmus, including 2 cases with strabismus (6.25%). All children had astigmatism, 56.25% of whom were hypermetropic. The mean corrected visual acuity in the better eye was 0.18+/-0.14. The Mean uncorrected visual acuity in the better eye was 0.33+/-0.15. The improvement in visual acuity after correction was statistically significant P=0.002. Conclusion:Albinism is associated with a variety of ocular anomalies including ametropia. Hypermetropic astigmatism was the most common refractive error identified in our series. Correction of this ametropia results in a statistically significant improvement in visual acuity.