Background and objective: To better define late complications and long-term visual outcomes associated with lensectomy surgery for pediatric cataracts.
Patients and methods: Retrospective review of all patients seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist from 1970 to 2002. Patients were seen at a university-based clinical practice setting. This study defines the incidence of late post-lensectomy complications. Final long-term visual acuities were correlated with specific surgical complications and ocular and systemic anomalies.
Results: There were 193 eyes of 138 patients who had lensectomy for pediatric cataracts. The average follow-up time was 10.8 +/- 6.7 years (range, 3 months to 31.3 years). The most common postoperative complication was aphakic glaucoma (20.2%) at an average of 3.4 +/- 3.7 years after lensectomy surgery. At last follow-up, the median visual acuity was 20/40 in eyes without complications and 20/80 in eyes with complications.
Conclusions: Aphakic glaucoma was the most common postoperative complication (20.2%). Most eyes with associated ocular and systemic anomalies and postoperative complications have poorer visual outcomes.