Prevalence of Corneal Astigmatism and Anterior Segmental Biometry Characteristics Before Surgery in Chinese Congenital Cataract Patients.

Jingjing Chen,Erping Long,Yizhi Liu,Duoru Lin,Xiaoyan Li,Lixia Luo,Jinchao Liu,Weirong Chen,Hui Chen,Haotian Lin,Li Zhang,Zhuoling Lin,Xiaohang Wu,Zhenzhen Liu

doi:10.1038/srep22092

Abstract

The prevalence and the distribution characteristics of corneal astigmatism (CA) and anterior segment biometry before surgery in Chinese congenital cataract (CC) patients are not completely understood. This study involved 400 CC patients from the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center enrolled from February 2011 to August 2015. Data on CA, keratometry, central corneal thickness (CCT) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were measured by the Pentacam Scheimpflug System. The mean age of patients was 54.27 months, and the ratio of boys to girls was 1.53:1. The mean CA was 2.03 diopters (D), and 39.25% of subjects had CA values ≥2 D. The most frequent (71.8%) diagnosis was with-the-rule astigmatism. Oblique astigmatism was present in 16.2% of cases, and 12% of cases had against-the-rule astigmatism. The mean keratometry measurement of cataractous eyes in bilateral patients was significantly larger than that in unilateral patients. Girls had a larger mean keratometry but a thinner CCT than did boys. The CA, CCT, and ACD of cataractous eyes were significantly larger than those of non-cataractous eyes in unilateral patients. The CA, mean keratometry, CCT, and ACD in CC patients varied with age, gender, and laterality. Fully understanding these characteristics may help inform guidelines and treatment decisions in CC patients.

Highlights

Congenital cataract (CC) is a primary cause of childhood blindness, which has become treatable in the past decade[1,2]
Knowledge of the prevalence of preoperative corneal astigmatism (CA) and the associated characteristics of anterior segmental biometry can greatly enhance the guidelines for CC treatment and prognosis
The mean CA in CC patients was larger than 2 D, and most patients had with-the-rule astigmatism

Summary

Introduction

Congenital cataract (CC) is a primary cause of childhood blindness, which has become treatable in the past decade[1,2] It is one of the primary diseases affecting eye development, with the underlying mechanism involving defocus[3,4,5,6] and form deprivation[7,8]. Keratometry and anterior chamber depth (ACD) are the most important indices in the accurate calculation of the required intraocular lens (IOL) power before surgery, whereas the variability in central corneal thickness (CCT) may affect the intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement in CC patients during the management of pediatric glaucoma[10]. Data on the developmental status of CA and anterior segment biometry in CC patients are of clinical significance to the guidelines for CC treatment, IOL power calculation, and IOP measurement

Methods

Results

Conclusion