Ophthalmic assessment in black patients with vitiligo

The objective of this study was to describe and estimate the prevalence of pigmentary disturbances occurring in the eyes of patients presenting with vitiligo in a teaching hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. Patients presenting with vitiligo to the dermatology clinic of the University College Hospital between March and December 2001 were referred to the eye clinic of the same hospital for ophthalmic evaluation. Patients were assessed by visual acuity, intraocular pressure, refraction, slit-lamp biomicroscopic evaluation of the anterior segments and funduscopic examination of the two eyes. Visual fields estimation was done using the Goldman's perimeter. A total of 26 patients were referred to the eye clinic. Of these, only 17 patients were considered evaluable for the study. There were seven males and eight females. The age range was 5-30 years. The largest extent of vitiligo recorded in the study population was 25% of the body surface area. The duration of the vitiligo was two months to 3 1/4 years. None of the patients complained of any visual disturbance. All ophthalmologic assessment profiles were normal for all patients. One of the patients had poliosis. No pigmentary disturbance of the eyes was noticed in any of our patients. Pigmentary changes were not seen in these groups of blacks with vitiligo.