Immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery in children in a government medical university in India

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the advantages and possible risks of single sitting bilateral cataract surgery over one eye at a time approach in children with developmental cataract. Settings and Design: Children (below 12 years) with bilateral developmental cataract with consenting parents were randomized to undergo either immediate sequential bilateral cataract (ISBC) surgery (both eyes at the same time) or delayed sequential bilateral cataract (DSBC) surgery (one eye at a time) over 4 years for logistics and complications. It was a prospective, randomized control trial. Methods: Two groups of patients (below 12 years) undergoing bilateral cataract surgery were compared for number of visits, duration of hospital stay, cost of procedure, duration of operating room (OR) occupancy, and refractive outcome. The first group underwent ISBC and the second group underwent DSBC surgery. A note was also made of complications related to anesthesia and/or the surgery in both the groups. Time interval between two eye surgeries and patients not returning for second eye surgery in DSBC group were also noted. Central tendency and degree of dispersion of continuous variables were expressed as mean and standard deviation for both (ISBC and DSBC) groups. The difference between the two groups was analyzed with independent “t”-test and the level of significance taken as 95% or a P