[Traumatic cataract at the Cotonou, hospital (Benin): epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic considerations].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency of traumatic cataracts, to describe their epidemiological and clinical aspects, and to analyze the postoperative functional results.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective survey that covered the period from January 2000 to December 2003, during which 54 patients of all ages were treated for traumatic cataract. The epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic parameters and the functional results were analyzed using the Epi info software, version 6.


RESULTS
Traumatic cataracts accounted for 6.9% of all cataracts. The patients were aged from 3 to 59 years, with a mean age of 26.9+/-15.7 years; males were predominant (70.4%) with a ratio of 2.4. Schoolchildren were the most frequent (37%), followed by manual laborers (33.3%). The cataracts resulted from recreational accidents (37%), physical abuse (18.5%), fights (14.8%), and home accidents (13%). Total cataracts accounted for the majority of the cases (58.2%). Forty-three patients (78.2%) had unilateral blindness at the first consultation. Only 30 eyes out of 55 were operated (54.6%): 13 with simple extracapsular extraction and 15 with extracapsular extraction with implantation in the posterior chamber and two with extracapsular extraction with implantation in the anterior chamber. Ten eyes out of 30 (33.3%) presented intraoperative vitreous leakage. Only 11 eyes out of 15 recovered visual acuity corrected to 3/10 or better.


CONCLUSIONS
Epidemiologically, the frequency of traumatic cataract doubled in 5 years, involving school-age boys most particularly. Unilateral cataracts are the rule. Anatomical and functional prognosis is worse for open injury. For different reasons, close to the half of the patients did not have surgery (44%). Among those that were treated surgically, few recovered corrected visual acuity better than 7/10.


CONCLUSIONS
Traumatic cataract is an increasingly frequent condition, although in most cases unilateral. It poses the problem of childhood aphakia treatment.
Doutetien
C
C
Clinique Ophtalmologique, Centre National Hospitalier et Universitaire Hubert Koutoukou Maga (CNHU-HKM), BP 386 Cotonou, Bénin. cldoutetien@yahoo.fr
Tchabi
S
S
Sounouvou
I
I
Yehouessi
L
L
Deguenon
J
J
Bassabi
S K
SK
D000059:Accidents; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001541:Benin; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular / Q000379:methods; D007910:Lenses, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014792:Visual Acuity