View abstract

This abstract is assigned to sessions

Title

Ocular disorders among paediatric patients in Kinshasa

Purpose	To determine the common eye disorders in patients less than 17 years of age (paediatric patients), attending outpatient in an eye clinic in Kinshasa.
Methods	We performed a retrospective cross-sectional and descriptive analysis of the data collected between January 2005 and August 2016 from patients less than 17 years of age, examined in an outpatient eye clinic, a general ophthalmology practice. Patients were grouped according to their age group preschool (0–5 years), school age (6–10 years) or older children (11–16 years). All children had a full ophthalmic evaluation, including refraction/cyclorefraction, slit lamp examination, an assessment of intraocular pressure (IOP), ocular motility and ophthalmoscopy.
Results	Out of 17469 patients seen during the study period, 2360 (13.5%) were less than 17 years of age. The mean age (SD) of the patients was 9.65 (4.41) years (range, 0.02 to 16 years). There were 1260 (53.4%) female and 1100 (46.6%) male, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.15. Of 2360, 517 (21.9%) children had no eye disorders. Of 1843 patients with eye disorders, refractive errors were the most common encountered disorders seen in 722 (39.2%) patients, which were followed by conjunctivitis (362 patients, 19.6%).
Conclusion	From the results of the study, refractive errors and conjunctivitis were the two most common disorders of childhood ocular diseases; therefore, the results justify a school eye screening programme.
Conflict of interest	No

Authors 1

Last name	KAIMBO WA KAIMBO
Initials	D
Department	University of Kinshasa
City	Kinshasa

Authors 2

Last name	KAIMBO
Initials	MT
Department	University of Kinshasa
City	Kinshasa