Ahmed Tall Lemrabott, Maria Faye, Binta Sakho, Niakhaleen Keita, Seynabou Niang, Moustapha Faye, Bacary Ba, Abdou Niang and El Hadji Fary Ka
Introduction: The improvement of dialysis techniques has led to an increase in the survival of dialysis patients and thus revealed multiple pathologies including ocular abnormalities. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of ocular abnormalities observed in chronic hemodialysis patients in our university hospital, to describe their ocular damage and to identify the risk factors associated with them.
Patients and methods: this was a four-month cross-sectional study. It concerned patients on chronic hemodialysis for more than three months, regularly dialyzed at the Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital. For each patient included, we performed an ophthalmological examination, with measurement of visual acuity, an examination of the anterior segment using a slit lamp, as well as a fundus examination.
Results: Fifty-five patients (43.6% men, 56.4% women) were included. The average age was 45.52 years ± 13.16 years. The predominant initial nephropathy was hypertensive nephropathy. The average duration of hemodialysis was 67.43 months ± 39.05 months with extremes of 7 months to 209 months. The following ophthalmological clinical examination data were identified on 110 eyes examined: decrease visual acuity in 36.4% of cases, cataract in 33.6% of cases, glaucoma in 3.6% of cases, retinopathy in 48.8%, and bilateral gerontoxon in one patient. Arteriosclerosis and macular atrophy were in equal proportion in 29.3% of cases. Dry eye was found in 11% of cases, pterygium in 3.6% of cases. The abnormalities found on refraction are dominated by myopic astigmatism in 47.8% of cases, followed by isolated myopia in 17.4%. Age and length of dialysis were correlated with the occurrence of cataracts.
Conclusion: Ocular manifestations in people on chronic hemodialysis are variable. The eye damage found was frequent and cannot be attributed solely to hemodialysis. Patients must have a routine ophthalmological examination, to detect and treat these lesions before the complication stage
