Lack of Glaucoma Following Infantile Cataract Surgery with Primary Posterior Chamber Intraocular Lens Implantation

Abstract

To determine the incidence of glaucoma following infantile cataract surgery with primary posterior chamber lens (PC-IOL) implantation for isolated non-traumatic cataract. Retrospective institutional medical record review. Thirty-six eyes of 31 patients were identified. Small incision surgery (including posterior capsulotomy and anterior vitrectomy) was performed at a mean age of 7.6 months (median: 7 months; range: 5 to 10 months) with in-the-bag PC-IOL placement in 27 eyes and sulcus PC-IOL placement in 9 eyes. Last follow-up examination was a mean 67.1 months postoperatively (median: 65 months; range: 60 to 84 months). No eye was diagnosed as having glaucoma. In a similar population (same methods, age range, and ethnic group) that was left aphakic, the incidence of glaucoma was 22 of 57 eyes (38.6%). Primary PC-IOL implantation may confer protection against delayed-onset glaucoma following cataract surgery between 5 and 10 months of age.