[Causes of childhood blindness and visual impairment in Ouagadougou: About 398 cases].

Introduction: Childhood blindness is a public health problem in developing countries. The goal of this study was to focus on the epidemiological and clinical patterns of moderate to severe, uni- or bilateral childhood blindness and severe visual impairment in the ophthalmology department of Yalgado Ouedraogo university hospital (YOUH) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional analytic study based on retrospective data in the ophthalmology department of YOUH from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2014. It included cases of childhood blindness and severe visual impairment (World Health Organisation: WHO) in children 0-15 years of age. The studied variables were sociodemographic and clinical data, visual outcomes, and avoidable aspects of their blindness (WHO).

Results: The prevalence of uni- or bilateral childhood blindness and severe visual impairment was 4.36% (398 cases out of 9125 children). The male/female ratio was 1.70. The mean age was 9±4 years old; 54% of children were school-age boys and girls; the most frequent causes among the 398 patients were traumatic (46.98%), infectious (12.31%) or congenital (10.05%). Most of the ocular injuries occured in boys (P<0.05) and school children (P<0.05). The injured structures resulting in childhood visual impairment were primarily the lens (30.65%) and the globe (27.64%). Childhood blindness and severe visual impairment were considered avoidable in 80.65% of cases. The type of visual disability was related to age, especially school age (P<0.0001) and to avoidability (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of childhood blindness and severe visual impairment, early, effective management and preventive strategies should be employed.