THE DYNAMICS OF THE LENGTH OF THE ANTERIOR-POSTERIOR EYE AXIS FOLLOWING THE EXTRACTION OF UNILATERAL CONGENITAL CATARACTS WITH THE IMPLANTATION OF INTRAOCULAR LENSES IN THE CHILDREN DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE

Abstract

Introduction. Unilateral congenital cataracts in the children account for up to 16.0% of the total number of congenital cataracts diagnosed among the pediatric population. Aphakia is considered to be the most physiological method for the surgical treatment and correction of unilateral congenital cataracts in the combination with the implantation of intraocular lenses. The optical power of the lenses is calculated based on the results of evaluation of the dynamics of the length of the anterior-posterior eye axis in individual patients. Aim. The objective of the present study was to analyze the dynamics of the length of the anterior-posterior axis of the eyes in the children presenting with pseudophakia following the extraction of unilateral congenital cataract. Materials and methods. The study included a total of 77 children with unilateral congenital cataracts examined before and after the surgical treatment. Phacoaspiration in the combination with the implantation of intraocular lenses was performed in the patients at the age varying from 3 to 11 months. The infants underwent the ultrasound biometric study and the evaluation of the dynamics of the length of the anterior-posterior axis in the affected eye in comparison with that in the contralateral eye before they reached the age of 7 years. Results. The results of this study give evidence of marked variability of the dynamics of the length of the anterior-posterior axis of the eyes following the early surgical treatment of the children presenting with unilateral congenital cataracts. Conclusion. The differences in the tendency toward the change in the length of the anterior-posterior axis of the eyes following the surgical treatment of unilateral congenital cataracts in the children during the first year of life suggest the necessity of further in-depth investigations and the need for the regular follow-up of such patients for the purpose of choosing the proper approach to the correction of the refraction error and ametropia.