Treatment of congenital and early childhood cataract

Visual Acuity and Complications at Age 7 Years Following Bilateral Secondary Intraocular Lens Implantation at 2 to Younger Than 6 Years for Pediatric Aphakia

Importance

The optimal timing for secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in children with bilateral aphakia remains uncertain, with important implications for long-term visual outcomes and the risk of complications such as glaucoma. Determining when to implant to achieve the best visual outcomes while minimizing complications is critical for improving clinical decision-making in pediatric cataract management.

Objective

To report the visual acuity (VA) and complications in children with bilateral aphakia after lensectomy for pediatric cataracts, undergoing secondary IOL implantation at different ages.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This single-center prospective observational cohort study, conducted from 2014 to 2023, is a 7-year follow-up study. A total of 251 children met the inclusion criteria. After exclusion, 158 children were enrolled in this study. These 158 children (316 eyes) underwent lensectomy before the age of 2 years, followed by secondary IOL implantation between the ages of 2 and younger than 6 years in bilateral pediatric cataracts.

Exposure

Study participants were categorized into 4 groups based on the timing of secondary IOL implantation (2 to <3 years, 3 to <4 years, 4 to <5 years, and 5 to <6 years).

Main Outcome and Measure

Best-corrected VA (BCVA) outcomes at age 7 years after secondary IOL implantation in children with bilateral pediatric cataracts.

Results

Among the 158 children included in the study, 103 (65.2%) were male. At age 7 years, the mean (SD) BCVA for children who underwent secondary IOL implantation was 0.49 (0.35) logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/62) at 2 to younger than 3 years, 0.59 (0.36) logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/78) at 3 to younger than 4 years, 0.60 (0.30) logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/80) at 4 to younger than 5 years, and 0.65 (0.34) logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/89) at 5 to younger than 6 years (P = .20). Glaucoma-related adverse events occurred in 47 eyes in total: 6 eyes (8.8%), 7 eyes (9.0%), 10 eyes (15.6%), and 24 eyes (22.6%) across the groups, respectively, with a statistical difference among the groups (P = .03).

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings suggest that secondary IOL implantation performed between the ages of 2 and younger than 6 years following bilateral pediatric cataract lensectomy can achieve comparable visual outcomes; however, the risk of glaucoma increases with older implantation age.

Early Patching Behaviors That Improve the Chances of Good Visual Acuity in Children Treated for Unilateral Congenital Cataract

PURPOSE

Achieving near normal vision after unilateral congenital cataract (UCC) surgery is possible but requires early surgery, optical correction, and consistent patching. Patching is often challenging for children and their caregivers. The goal of these analyses is to examine the association between reported consistency in patching during the first year after surgery and visual acuity (VA).

DESIGN

Data from the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS) are used in a cohort design.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 101 children whose caregivers completed a prospective, 7-day patching diary 2 months after surgery or at 13 months of age.

METHODS

Consistent patching was defined as patching every day and either an average patch start time before 9:00 am or the interquartile range of the first time a patch was applied of 60 minutes or less.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Recognition VA was assessed at ages 54+ 1 months and 10.5 years. Near normal VA was defined as VA of 20/40 or better.

RESULTS

Diary data were available for 101 children. Overall, 55% of children whose caregivers reported consistent patching at age 13 months had near normal vision at age 54 + 1 months and 45% had near normal vision at age 10.5 years compared with 14% and 19%, respectively, when caregivers reported less consistent patching (adjusted relative risk at 54 months of age 3.55, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.61-7.80; adjusted relative risk at 10.5 years of age 2.31, 95% CI, 1.12-4.78).

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent patching in the first year after surgery for UCC is associated with better VA. These findings can be used to provide evidence-based guidance to caregivers to help improve VA outcomes for their children.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S)

The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Retinal Detachment Following Pediatric Cataract Surgery

Background

Retinal detachment is a major postsurgical threat in pediatric cataract surgery; however, the effect of axial length remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the relationship between axial length and detachment risk in vulnerable patients.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study analyzed 132 eyes of 84 pediatric cataract surgery patients aged <20 years old. Axial length was measured preoperatively, and the incidence of retinal detachment was recorded over a median follow-up of 4 years. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the axial length-detachment relationship.

Results

Twenty eyes had postoperative retinal detachments. The median axial length was longer in the detachment group (23.6 mm) than in the non-detachment group (21.6 mm). Eyes with axial length ≤23.4 mm had 0.55-fold decreased odds of detachment compared to longer eyes. Preexisting myopia and glaucoma confer heightened risk. Approximately half of the patients retained some detachment risk eight years postoperatively.

Conclusion

Shorter eyes (axial length ≤23.4 mm) appear to be protected against pediatric retinal detachment after cataract surgery, whereas myopia, glaucoma, and axial elongation > 23.4 mm elevate the postoperative risk. Understanding these anatomical risk profiles requires surgical planning and follow-up care of children undergoing lensectomy.

Cytokines in aqueous humor of patients with congenital cataract during delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery

BACKGROUND

To explore the changes of cytokines expression in aqueous humor (AH) of eyes of patients with congenital cataract (CC) who underwent delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery (DSBCS).

METHODS

28 patients with CC underwent DSBCS. AH samples were collected from each eye before surgery. The contents of cytokines in AH were detected by Luminex xMAP Technology.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in the expression of IL-8, IP-10, MCP-1 and PDGFAA in the AH of the first and second eyes (P = 0.35, 0.39, 0.17, respectively). The level of IL-8 in the first-eye AH was negatively correlated with age (ρ=- 0.519, P = 0.008). IP-10 and MCP-1 in the second-eye AH were negatively correlated with age (ρ=- 0.483, P = 0.009; ρ=- 0.445, P = 0.018,respectively).

CONCLUSION

The first-eye surgery in patients with CC may not cause the change of cytokines in the contralateral eye. The expression of IL-8, IP-10 and MCP-1 in the AH was negatively correlated with the age of patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered at www.chictr.org.cn on March 22, 2022 and the clinical trial number is ChiCTR2200057927.

Cataract Surgery-Indications, Techniques, and Intraocular Lens Selection

BACKGROUND

Opacification of the lens of the eye (cataract) is usually due to aging. It is a painless, progressive condition that affects contrast and color perception and alters refraction, leading to visual loss that may be total. In cataract surgery, the turbid lens is replaced by an artificial lens. An estimated 600 000 to 800 000 such procedures are performed in Germany each year.

METHODS

This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective search in PubMed, including meta-analyses, Cochrane reviews, and randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs).

RESULTS

Cataract is the most common reversible cause of blindness around the world (approximately 95 million people). The surgical replacement of a turbid lens with an artificial lens is usually carried out under local anesthesia. The standard technique for fragmentation of the nucleus of the lens is ultrasonic phacoemulsification. RCTs have not shown the superiority of the femtosecond laser over phacoemulsification for this purpose so far. The spectrum of artificial intraocular lenses, aside from the conventional type with a single focus, include lenses with multiple foci, extended-depth-of-focus (EDOF) lenses, and astigmatism-correcting lenses.

CONCLUSION

In Germany, cataract surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. Artificial lenses with various additional functions are available nowadays; the choice of lens depends on the needs of the individual patient. Patients must be adequately informed about the advantages and disadvantages of the different lens systems.

[Glaucoma in infancy and childhood]

Glaucoma in infancy and childhood is a rare disease. An immediate diagnosis and treatment are absolutely necessary to prevent blindness of affected children. Childhood glaucoma is characterized by a heterogeneous phenotype: besides primary congenital glaucoma, secondary types often exist and the individualized treatment requires an experienced interdisciplinary team. The pathogenesis is not always discernible and genetic alterations sometimes cause the disease. A surgical procedure is usually necessary to lower the intraocular pressure. Refractive and orthoptic care are equally important to avoid amblyopia. This article gives an overview of childhood glaucoma and outlines the most important diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.

Pediatric cataract surgery: Rate of secondary visual axis opacification depending on intraocular lens type

PURPOSE

To assess the time course of secondary visual axis opacification (VAO) that led to additional surgery after primary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in children and to describe further surgical outcomes. Comparison of different lens types.

DESIGN

Single center, retrospective analysis of children aged 1-14 years who underwent cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation. The surgical technique was either in-bag IOL placement with primary posterior capsulotomy and anterior vitrectomy or bag-in-lens IOL placement. We excluded eyes with visually significant ocular comorbidities.

SUBJECTS

Total of 135 eyes of 95 children. Of these, 64 had received an acrylic three-piece IOL, 51 an acrylic single-piece IOL, and 20 an acrylic single-piece bag-in-lens IOL. The median ages at surgery were 53 months (IQR 35-75), 52 months (27-65), and 60 months (40-84) in the 3-piece, 1-piece, and bag-in-lens group, respectively.

METHODS

Analysis of medical records. We used the Kaplan-Meier method and a cox proportional hazards model with pre-defined adjustments for age at surgery, year of surgery, and socioeconomic deprivation (GISD score by postal code) to analyze VAO-free survival by lens type. Patients were invited to attend a clinical visit to achieve longer follow-ups.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The rate of survival without VAO that required clearing of the visual axis after cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation. Any other surgical complications.

RESULTS

The overall median follow-up was 19 months (IQR 3-58). There were 13 cases of VAO, occurring at a median of 10 months (IQR 10-12) after surgery. Of these, 1 eye had a 3-piece in-bag IOL, 10 eyes had 1-piece in-bag IOLs, and 2 eyes had bag-in-lens IOLs. The adjusted hazard ratio was 32.8 (95% CI: 3.3-327, p=0.003) for 1-piece acrylic IOLs and 19.6 (1.22-316, p=0.036) for bag-in-lens IOLs, compared to 3-piece acrylic in-bag IOLs. Two eyes with bag-in-lens surgery (10%) had an iris capture. There was one case of endophthalmitis. We found no cases of postoperative retinal detachment or new glaucoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with secondary visual axis opacification that required a procedure to clear the visual axis generally presented within fifteen months. Opacification rates were lowest when a 3-piece acrylic IOL was used.