Long-term Results in Pediatric Developmental Cataract Surgery with Primary Intraocular Lens Implantation

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of pediatric developmental cataract surgery with primary intraocularlens (IOL) implantation.Materials and Methods: Patients between 2 and 16 years old who underwent cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation wereretrospectively evaluated. Age at time of surgery, pre- and postoperative best corrected visual acuities, postoperative ocular complications,and any accompanying ocular pathologies were obtained from the patients’ charts. Mean refractive changes and degree of myopic shiftwere analyzed according to the age groups. Operated eyes were also compared with the fellow eyes in unilateral cases.Results: A total of 101 eyes of 65 patients were included. The average age at time of surgery was 76±40 months and the averagefollow-up period was 44±30 months. Among the 78 eyes that could be assessed for visual acuity improvement, 66 (84.6%) of themshowed ≥2 lines of improvement. The difference in the mean refractive change between the 2-5 years old and 8-16 years old age groupswas found to be statistically significant. However, the mean refractive change per year was not found to be significant between the sameage groups. In unilateral cases, the operated eyes showed a greater myopic change than the fellow eyes, with no statistically significantdifference. The most common postoperative complication was visual axis opacity.Conclusion: Good visual outcomes can be achieved following pediatric cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation. Optic axisopacities were the most common postoperative complications. Overall, refractive changes following surgery are inevitable, and moreprominent in younger age groups.