[Hospital study of the major causes of blindness in Western Cameroon].

Abstract

The authors study the main causes for blindness in the Western Province thanks to the hospital data from the only Ophthalmology service of this region. When checking the files of the 204 patients the main blindness causes are (in decreasing order): cataracts, glaucomas, optical nerve atrophy, uveitis, onchocerciasis.... This study also shows the absence of trachoma as a blindness cause in this tropical area. These data could be used to plan an ophthalmological cure strategy waiting for the put into service of a blindness prevalence survey in the field.