[Traditional treatment of cataract in Niger. Apropos of 22 cases]

Empiric treatment of cataracts by couching is still commonly performed by traditional healers in West Africa. In the ophthalmology department in the regional hospital of Zinder, in Niger, 22 cases have been identified and their complications treated medically and surgically. The semiotic analysis demonstrated the diversity of methods used, sometimes successfully by the traditional healers. Apart from the classical technics of luxation in the vitreous, we have observed a number of cases with integrity of the posterior capsule and disappearance of the nucleus. These last observations have lead us to believe that certain traditional healers may use local plants with phakolytic effects in their pharmacopia.