Clinical Findings Among Nigerian Paediatric Glaucoma Suspects During A School Eye Health Survey

OBJECTIVE: To report clinical findings suspicious of glaucoma among primary school children in Ilorin, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross sectional survey of ocular health among 1,393 school children carried out between July 2005 and January 2006. Criteria for suspecting glaucoma included a cup disc ratio (CD) of > 0.5, a CD asymmetry between the fellow eyes of > 0.2, and/or intraocular pressure (IOP) > 21mmHg by applanation tonometry. RESULTS: Eleven (6 boys and 5 girls) of 1,393 pupils (0.8%), aged between 7 and 13 years, had ocular findings suspicious of glaucoma. Twenty two eyes of 11 pupils had a CD ratio ≥ 0.6, and among these 5 eyes had IOP > 21. Three of the pupils had a CD asymmetry of > 0.2. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of these Nigerian school pupils had clinical signs suggestive of glaucoma. A functional school health programme with eye health component coupled with efficient referral system is advocated.