Visual Axis Opacification after Congenital Cataract Surgery and Primary Intraocular Lens Implantation: Comparison of Three Different Lenses

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of visual axis opacification (VAO) in children who underwent pediatric cataract surgery combinedwith intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 65 eyes of 49 patients (range 24–96 month) who underwent pediatric cataract surgerybetween 2006 and 2012. We divided the patients into groups according to the implanted IOL. In group A, an MA60BM hydrophobic;in group B, a Sensar® 40e hydrophobic; and in group C, an Eyecryl® 600 hydrophilic IOL were implanted. Patients in all groupswho completed 12 months of follow-up were included in this study. The demographic data, VAO, and postoperative complicationswere evaluated.Results: A total of 33 patients had unilateral and 16 had bilateral cataract surgery. The rate of VAO was 10 (45.5%) in Group A; 7(41.2%) in Group B; and 16 (61.5%) in Group C. We determined no significant difference between the groups in terms of VAO development(p=0.353).Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that different IOLs cause comparable VAO rates in children undergoing surgery at an older age. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that performing a posterior curvilinear capsulorhexis and anterior vitrectomy are more important than IOL design in preventing after-cataract formation in older children.