The prevalence of secondary glaucoma after congenital cataract surgery and associated risk factors in a Tertiary Center in Iraq

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of glaucoma and its associated risk factors in children who underwent congenital cataract surgery. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Ibn Al-Haitham Teaching Eye Hospital targeting children who had undergone congenital cataract surgery between January 2014 and March 2020, with a minimum follow-up of 1 year. The required information was obtained from clinical records of 422 patients operated by the same surgeon, and after exclusion criteria, the total sample was 375 patients and 512 eyes. Results: The prevalence of secondary glaucoma was 4.69% of the total 512 eyes. The factors that significantly increased the risk of developing secondary glaucoma were female gender and surgery before the age of 9 months. Conclusion: The prevalence of secondary glaucoma after congenital cataract surgery in a sample of Iraqi children was in the low range compared to other international studies, mainly attributed to more late presentation and relatively older age at surgery. The possible risk factors for developing secondary glaucoma included female gender and surgery before the age of 9 months. A close follow-up is needed for each patient after the congenital cataract study, especially for those for whom the surgery was performed before the age of 9 months, which carries a higher risk of secondary glaucoma.