Article PDF :

Veiw Full Text PDF

Article type :

Original Article

Author :

Damaris Magdalene, Dhaval Patel, Akanksha Koul, Diva Kant Mishra, Kalyan Das, Prabhjot Kaur

Volume :

3

Issue :

1

Abstract :

Purpose: To study the visual outcomes and cause of poor visual prognosis in pediatric cataract patients in North East India. Methods: Retrospective analyses of 283 eyes of patients with cataract below age of 18 years with minimum follow up of 6 months were included. Pre-operative and post-operative visual outcomes of patients undergoing cataract surgery at tertiary eye care hospital were analyzed. Statistical analysis was done using Chi Square test. Results: There was a male preponderance with 194 males (68.5%) and 89 females (31.4%). The most common type of cataract encountered was developmental (28.9%). According to morphology, 48.08% eyes had lamellar/zonular cataract. Vision following surgery was greater than 6/60 in 144 eyes (50.8%). Vision could not be assessed in 15% cases pre-operatively compared to 7.7% post-operatively. IOL was implanted in 77.3% cases. The most common associated ocular condition was nystagmus in 57 cases (20.1%). The most important factor associated with poor visual outcome was amblyopia (38.2%). Conclusion: Pediatric cataract continues to be a challenge and a major cause of reduced vision in developing countries. Awareness, early intervention go a long way in preventing the development of amblyopia and improving the morbidity of children with cataract.