Changes in interocular axial length after pediatric cataract surgery

Abstract

To explore the hypothesis that preoperative interocular axial length difference changes after pediatric cataract intraocular lens implantation surgery to meet the measurement of the fellow eye. Retrospective chart review. Eyes with traumatic and secondary cataract, lens subluxation, or postoperative glaucoma were excluded. In bilateral cataract cases, only right eye data were included. In addition, eyes were included only if axial length data for both eyes were available before surgery and at follow-up equal to or greater than the age at surgery. Forty-seven eyes fit the inclusion criteria. Average age at surgery and follow-up was 2.2 +/- 2.2 and 5.6 +/- 2.9 years, respectively. Three groups were formed based on the preoperative interocular axial length difference: < -0.2, group 1; >or= -0.2, and <or=0.2, group 2; >0.2, group 3. Average age at surgery between these three groups was not significantly different (p = 0.82), nor was age at follow-up between the groups (p = 0.66). The change in interocular axial length difference (postoperative interocular axial length difference minus preoperative interocular axial length difference) was significant between the three groups (0.3, 0.2, -0.4 mm, respectively; p = 0.02). The average rate of axial length growth was significantly different between three groups (3.7, 2.4, 2.5 mm, respectively; p = 0.03). Eyes with a shorter axial length than the fellow eye showed postoperative rate of axial growth that exceeded the growth rate of eyes with a longer interocular axial length. These growth rates resulted in a postoperative trend of intraocular axial length difference toward zero.