Effect of repeated ivermectin treatments on ocular onchocerciasis: evaluation after six to eight doses

In 26 villages (1987 population 12,302), hyperendemic for savanna onchocerciasis in North Cameroon, ivermectin was distributed annually between 1987/89 and 1995. Each year until 1992, ophthalmologic examinations were performed before treatment. A final examination was made in 1995. The effects of ivermectin on ocular onchocerciasis were assessed by following (a) the ophthalmologic indices in three cohorts of males recruited before treatment in 1987, 1988 and 1989, who were treated and examined annually, and (b) the indices recorded yearly in the cross-section of males aged 15-19 years. The indices in 1995 from patients who had received up to eight doses were compared with those calculated before treatment in individuals of similar age. In the cohorts, the prevalences of microfilariae in the anterior chamber (MFAC) and of punctate keratitis (PK) recorded in 1995 were markedly reduced; there was a non-significant decrease in sclerosing keratitis (SK), and a significant worsening in the fundus indices in the cohorts. The cross-sectional analysis showed significant decreases in the prevalences of MFAC, PK and SK, and a significant increase in the mean visual acuity; there was no significant change in any fundus index. The findings suggest that repeated ivermectin treatment does not prevent the appearance of initial retinal lesions or the worsening of existing retinal lesions.