Refractive Changes After Congenital Cataract Surgery In Preterm Or Full Term Infants

1. Yi Chen
2. Yong-zhen Bao
3. Xi Wu

People Eye Center,Peking University People's Hospital

Purpose: Congenital cataract is one of the main causes of childhood blindness. With the improvement of the perinatal health care, premature infants survive rate is increasing. This study is to evaluate the changes in refractive error after cataract extraction in full term infants or preterm infants.

Methods: The infants younger than 6 month old who had undergone surgery for congenital cataract in recent five years were included. According to their gestational age the patients are divided into two groups and compare their refractive error changes after surgery.

Results: A total of 29 congenital cataract patients, 16 boys and 13 girls were included, 17 cases with gestational age from 30 to 35 weeks, 12 full term infants. 35 eyes are with total cataract, 20 eyes are with nuclear cataract. Age at surgery is from 10 days after birth to 6 months (mean 3 months). All the patients underwent cataract suction joint posterior curvilinear capsulorhexis and anterior vitrectomy. The refractive errors in preterm infants are higher than full term infants. Refraction errors decreased with age in both groups of children gradually.

Conclusion: cataract surgery in infants under 6 months old is a safe procedure. Hyperopic refraction error is higher in preterm children than in full-term children, suggesting that preterm children should follow-up frequently.