title: A survey of the surgical treatment of congenital and developmental cataracts in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand the current practice pattern for the surgical treatment of congenital/developmental cataracts in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mail questionnaire was sent to facilities engaged in the surgical treatment of congenital cataracts in Japan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-four facilities reported their preferred methods for the surgical treatment of congenital cataracts, including data from 809 eyes of 508 patients who had undergone surgery. More than 85% of the respondents answered that they would consider surgery even if the visual prognosis was not promising because of possible form-deprivation amblyopia. The most commonly performed surgical maneuvers were scleral tunnel incision (88.4%), 3.0-mm or smaller incision (78.8%), manual anterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (90.2% success rate), posterior capsulotomy (92.5% for patients aged ≤6 years), anterior vitrectomy by the limbal approach (85.9% for patients aged ≤6 years), and wound closure with sutures (93.2%). Posterior capsulotomy and vitrectomy were not usually performed in patients aged >6 years. Implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL) was mostly indicated in patients aged 2 years or older. Implantation of an acrylic foldable IOL (76.6%) into the capsular bag (89.7%) was the most common practice among the surgeons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Small incision surgery with implantation of an acrylic foldable IOL into the capsular bag combined with posterior capsulotomy was the preferred surgical treatment of choice for congenital/developmental cataracts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagamoto
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oshika
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujikado
authors.forename: Tatsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Mineo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Daijiro
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kurosaka
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Azuma
mesh_terms: D002386:Cataract / Q000151:congenital* / Q000235:genetics*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular / Q000379:methods*; D008866:Microsurgery; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D064727:Posterior Capsulotomy / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014792:Visual Acuity