title: Long-term visual outcome of dense bilateral congenital cataract.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dense congenital cataracts often cause severe visual impairment. The results of long-term follow-up of dense bilateral congenital cataract in China have not been well documented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term visual function in children who underwent cataract extraction for dense bilateral congenital cataract in southern part of China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of children who underwent surgery of dense bilateral congenital cataract between January 1992 and December 2000 at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University were retroactively reviewed. In 38 children available for current follow-up, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and stereoscopic vision, as well as nystagmus, strabismus, and other complications, were evaluated. The mean follow-up period was 107.6 months (range 60 to 167 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of cataract extraction and secondary intraocular lens implantation were 5.6 months (range 3 to 12 months) and 4.2 years (range 2.4 to 15 years), respectively. The mean BCVA was 0.25 in the better eye and 0.16 in the fellow eye. Stereoscopic vision was absent in all patients, and 3 children had simultaneous perception. Nystagmus was detected in all cases and strabismus in 35 cases. A high correlation was found between timing of cataract extraction and final BCVA of the better eye (r = -0.55, P = 0.00). A statistically significant difference was found in BCVA between post- and pre-treatment of amblyopia (t = 5.65, P = 0.00).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term visual function in children with dense bilateral congenital cataract was poor when cataract surgery was performed at age of 3 months or later. Earlier cataract surgery with adequate optical rehabilitation contributed to better visual outcome.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China.
authors.forename: He-hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Da-ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yi-yong
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wei-rong
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002386:Cataract / Q000151:congenital*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity