title: Central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in children undergoing congenital cataract surgery: a prospective, longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate changes in central corneal thickness (CCT) and intraocular pressure (IOP) in children after congenital cataract surgery, as well as risk factors associated with these changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  37 eyes of 26 children with congenital cataract undergoing surgery were prospectively recruited. IOP and CCT measurements were performed before the surgery and 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months after the procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 37 eyes, 15 became aphakic and 22 pseudophakic. Mean CCT significantly increased from 556.24 ± 44.19 to 585.07 ± 56.45 μm (p=0.003) after 3 years, whereas mean IOP significantly increased from 12.05 ± 2.3 to 13.89 ± 2.96 mm Hg (p=0.037). Aphakic eyes underwent surgery at an early age (15.16 ± 32.02 months) compared with pseudophakic eyes (71.48 ± 53.14 months) (p<0.001). After 3 years, mean CCT change in aphakic eyes (56.10 ± 46.97 μm) was significantly higher than in pseudophakic eyes (12.71 ± 38.41 μm) (p=0.015). Age at the time of surgery was inversely correlated to CCT change (r=-0.34, p=0.04), but not to IOP change (r=-0.18, p=0.27). When surgery was performed between 0 and 1 year of age, mean CCT change at 3 years was 70.11 ± 42.3 μm, compared with 6.27 ± 28.09, -17.0 ± 8.04 and 48.33 ± 34.99 μm when surgeries were performed at 1-5, 5-10 and >10 years old, respectively (p<0.001). IOP change was not correlated to CCT change (r=0.31, p=0.06).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CCT increases in eyes undergoing congenital cataract surgery, especially when the surgery is performed at an early age.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil. graziela2002@msn.com.br
authors: Graziela Massa
authors: GM
authors: Resende
authors: Alvaro P C
authors: AP
authors: Lupinacci
authors: Carlos Eduardo Leite
authors: CE
authors: Árieta
authors: Vital P
authors: VP
authors: Costa
authors: Vital
authors: V
authors: Costa
mesh_terms: D001036:Aphakia, Postcataract / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002386:Cataract / Q000151:congenital / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors