title: The nationwide study of epikeratophakia for aphakia in older children.
abstract: A nationwide study of epikeratophakia for aphakia in older children was conducted from March 1984 to March 1986. Sixty-three patients, 8 to 18 years of age, underwent this procedure in 65 eyes. Twenty-eight patients had congenital cataracts and 35 had traumatic cataracts. Fifty-one of the 65 eyes were aphakic at the time of surgery (secondary procedures). All surgeries were successful; no tissue lenses were lost or removed. Postoperatively, 73% of the patients were within 3 diopters (D) of emmetropia. The patients with congenital cataracts gained an average of one Snellen line of best-corrected visual acuity; patients with traumatic cataracts lost an average of one Snellen line of best-corrected visual acuity. In older pediatric patients, epikeratophakia appears to be a safe and effective procedure for the correction of aphakia.
mesh_terms: D001035:Aphakia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D013997:Time Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity