title: Visual results after early surgical treatment of unilateral congenital cataracts.
abstract: The authors reviewed the records of 25 consecutive patients who had been operated on for unilateral congenital cataracts at 1 year of age or younger and who had been followed for a period of 5 years or longer. Excluded were patients who demonstrated retinal and optic nerve anomalies. Five eyes achieved 20/40 or better Snellen visual acuity, 5 eyes achieved 20/50 to 20/100 visual acuity, and 15 eyes had 20/200 or less visual acuity. All patients with visual acuity of 20/40 or better had cataract surgery performed before 17 weeks of age, the critical period, and surgery was scattered within this time frame. For surgery performed between 17 weeks and 1 year of age, the best achieved visual acuity in children with surgically significant unilateral congenital cataracts was between 20/50 and 20/100. There was no correlation between the age at the time of surgery and the attainment of these visual levels in this patient subset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hiles
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Biglan
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pettapiece
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000628:therapy; D001036:Aphakia, Postcataract / Q000628:therapy; D002386:Cataract / Q000151:congenital*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D003261:Contact Lenses; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011379:Prognosis; D014792:Visual Acuity