Ocular Axial Length Changes in Pseudophakic Children After Traumatic and Congenital Cataract Surgery

Abstract

Pseudophakic children tend to develop a large myopic shift. This may be in part due to accelerated growth in axial length. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the postoperative change in axial length (DeltaAL) in pseudophakic eyes, after extraction of traumatic or congenital cataract. Included in this retrospective study were 20 children who had undergone surgery for traumatic, unilateral congenital, or bilateral congenital cataracts. All patients were under 10 years old at the time of operation. Axial length was measured perioperatively as well as 1 year or more postoperatively. The three groups were subdivided according to patients' ages (below or above 5 years). The DeltaAL in the operated eyes was compared with DeltaAL of the fellow nonoperated eyes. The difference in DeltaAL between operated and fellow nonoperated eyes was compared among the groups. DeltaAL was greater for operated eyes than for fellow nonoperated eyes (traumatic cataract: p=0.06; unilateral congenital cataract, p=0.055). Axial elongation was significantly greater in children under 5 years old at operation than in those older than 5 (p=0.025). The difference in rate of DeltaAL between operated and fellow nonoperated eyes, per 1 year of follow-up, was similar for traumatic and unilateral congenital cataract groups. This study demonstrated a tendency toward greater axial lengthening in pseudophakic eyes of children, when compared with their nonoperated eyes. No significant difference was found in the tendency for increased axial lengthening between eyes operated on for traumatic cataracts and those operated on for congenital cataracts.