[Oculoplastics in Cameroon].

Ophthalmological care in Cameroon is still being developed, although surgery for cataract and glaucoma is well established in several centres across the country. Our objective was to train the local doctors of the Presbyterian Eye Hospital (Acha) in Bafoussam and Douala to perform the most common oculoplasty procedures. The German Ophthalmological Society funded the project with a short-term lectureship of 2 weeks. We now present the results of the first two visits to Acha. We saw 96 oculoplastic patients and performed 44 surgeries. Most of the cases were nasolacrimal duct obstructions, cicatricial ectropion and lagophthalmos following trauma, as well as socket deformities. We were able to perform lid and socket reconstructions as well as dacryocystorhinostomies and other oculoplastic interventions. During the second visit, we had the opportunity to perform general anaesthesia and were able to tackle some of the initial challenges for oculoplastic surgery. The acquisition of instruments and materials are ongoing and training of the local doctors has just started after an analysis of the cases presenting in this particular setup.