title: The visual deprivation and increase in axial length in patients with cataracts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between axial myopia and visual deprivation in patients with cataracts in their youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty myopic eyes of 25 cases had long deprivation of form vision due to cataracts during their youth. The axial length was measured by A-Scan ultrasound.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The axial length is 2-6mm (mean: 3.7mm) longer than the other eyes in 10 patients with unilateral cataracts. Fifteen cases with bilateral cataracts had 25-29mm of axial length (mean of the right eyes 26.8mm and the left eyes: 26.7mm). Six cases with unilateral cataract had traumatic history at age from 2-9 years (mean: 5.1 years) and the duration of visual deprivation due to cataract was from 8 to 30 years (mean: 12 years). Thirteen cases with dilateral congenital cataract had 17.4 years (from 3 to 37 years) of visual deprivation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The deprivation of form vision due to cataracts in childhood leads to increase in axial length and myopia.
authors.affiliation: Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005123:Eye / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009216:Myopia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D014792:Visual Acuity