Purpose:Our aim was to obtain a better understanding of the etiologies and characteristics of pediatric cataracts treated at a single facility in China.Methods:.Medical records accrued over a 10-year period(from August, 2003 to July, 2013) at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University were reviewed retrospectively,ide ntifying all patients treated for various subtypes of pediatric cataract..A database with 367 subjects under 14 years of age(598, including second-round surgeries) was generated.Results:.Of this cohort(n =367; males: 232, 63.2%; females: 135, 36.8%), 200 patients(54.5%) had bilateral cataracts,and 258(70.3%) were under 3 years of age. In all age groups and in all subtypes of pediatric cataract,.males were most commonly affected..Congenital cataract was the most prevalent subtype, accounting for 296 patients(80.7%). Most congenital cataracts were associated with other ocular or systemic abnormalities;.and in 48 patients(16.22%),.they were hereditary..Traumatic cataract was the most common subtype(85.92%) of acquired cataract. The few instances of cataracts due to steroids(n=3) or to metabolic disorders(n=2) occurred in males and involved both eyes.Conclusion: The majority of pediatric cataracts in this patient population were congenital in nature. A significant lag in ophthalmologic evaluation of Chinese infants was evident and should be addressed by educating both children and parents on risk factors for cataract development. Regular assessments are especially important in children subjected to long-term systemic steroid treatments.
AIM: To observe the central corneal thickness (CCT) changes in infants and young children who had been undergone bilateral congenital cataract surgery, and to compare the changes with normal control group which was selected from healthy population. METHODS: A cross section case-control study contained 28 cases (56 eyes) of bilateral aphakia (aphakic group) due to congenital cataract surgery combining with posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis and with anterior vitrectomy during 2-6 months after birth. Fourteen children (28 eyes) of age-sex matched with the aphalic group were selected as normal control group. CCT and intraocular pressure (TOP) were measured postoperatively and the results were compared between groups. RESULTS: The mean CCT was 653.5 +/- 82.4 mu m in the aphakic group and 579.6 +/- 39.2 mu m in the control group, with a significant difference (P=0.000). The mean value of TOP in aphakic group (22.0 +/- 1.6mmHg) was greater than that of control group (16.9 +/- 2.1mmHg), P=0.023. There was a negative correlation between age and CCT in normal control group (r=-0.531, P=0.026), and there was no correlation in bilateral aphakia group (r=-0.324, P=0.165). CONCLUSION: Aphakic children due to congenital cataract surgery have a greater CCT than normal children. It is necessary to consider CCT in evaluating IOP for children after congenital cataract surgery.
