Clinical outcomes of surgical techniques in congenital cataracts.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the general clinical features of congenital cataracts and to determine their relationship to visual prognosis and surgical complications according to age at operation and surgical procedure adopted.


METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated 92 eyes in 61 patients with congenital cataracts who underwent cataract surgery between January 1996 and December 2006. The demographic data, surgical technique, post-operative complications, and final visual prognosis were evaluated.


RESULTS
The average age at surgery was 3.17 years (range 1 month to 11 years), and the mean follow-up was 40.02 months (range 6 to 46 months). Of the 56 eyes that could be checked for visual acuity after cataract extraction, 29 (51.7%) had a BCVA of > or = 0.5 at last visit. Unilateral congenital cataracts (p=0.025) and congenital cataracts with strabismus (p=0.019) showed significantly poorer visual outcomes. Patients with nystagmus also experienced a poor visual outcome; 6 patients (67%) had a BCVA of <0.1. Posterior cataracts had the worst visual prognosis (p=0.004). No statistically significant differences in posterior capsular opacity (p=0.901) or synechia formation (p=0.449) were observed between surgical techniques, but children younger than one year showed a higher tendency for PCO and synechia formation.


CONCLUSIONS
Anterior vitrectomy did not reduce postoperative complications. Higher rates of complications (PCO, posterior synechia) developed in children younger than one year of age.
Kim
Kuk Hyoe
KH
Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyungwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ahn
Kyeon
K
Chung
Eui Sang
ES
Chung
Tae Young
TY
D019923:Capsulorhexis / Q000379:methods; D002386:Cataract / Q000145:classification / Q000151:congenital*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D009759:Nystagmus, Pathologic / Q000150:complications; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013285:Strabismus / Q000150:complications; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014821:Vitrectomy