The effectiveness of daily wear contact lenses for the correction of infantile aphakia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of daily wear contact lenses in the treatment of infantile aphakia.


METHODS
A study of prognosis using a cohort followed up for a mean of 58 months.


METHODS
All operations, contact lens care, and follow-up were conducted at a university referral center.


METHODS
Of 111 children undergoing surgery for cataract between 1980 and 1990, 51 (68 eyes) met the criteria of age younger than 2 years at the time of surgery and of cataract of nontraumatic origin. Patients were evaluated for visual acuity, complications, number of contact lenses worn per year, and changes in contact lens refractive power per month. A subgroup of 28 eyes of patients undergoing surgery before age 7 months and followed up for at least 24 months was studied.


METHODS
Following cataract surgery, all patients were fitted with daily wear contact lenses.


METHODS
Final visual acuity and complications were studied. The distribution of mean contact lens power for each month of age was determined.


RESULTS
During the follow-up period, no serious complications were encountered. The visual acuity outcome was better following bilateral cataract surgery than unilateral surgery (P < .001 using chi 2 analysis) and was comparable with that achieved with extended wear contact lenses.


CONCLUSIONS
Daily wear contact lenses were found to be safe and effective in the treatment of infantile surgical aphakia. The daily care was easily learned by the parents.
Neumann
D
D
Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, UCLA School of Medicine.
Weissman
B A
BA
Isenberg
S J
SJ
Rosenbaum
A L
AL
Bateman
J B
JB
D001036:Aphakia, Postcataract / Q000628:therapy*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000628:therapy; D014792:Visual Acuity