Complications after early surgery for congenital cataracts.

PURPOSE: To study the type and frequency of complications requiring additional surgery in infants operated on for congenital cataract before 12 months of age.

METHODS

The medical records of 57 infants who underwent surgery for unilateral and bilateral congenital cataracts during a five-year-period were reviewed retrospectively. The follow-up period ranged from 9 to 70 months with a mean of 37 months. Cataract extraction was performed on 83 eyes.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight operations for after-cataracts were performed on 32 out of 83 eyes. Fourteen vitrectomies were made on 11 eyes because of pupillary block glaucoma. Glaucoma requiring trabeculectomy developed in eight eyes 2 to 14 months after cataract extraction. This type of glaucoma occurred almost exclusively in eyes operated on during the first two months of life.

CONCLUSION

Complications requiring additional surgery are very common in infants operated on for congenital cataracts during the first year of life. Glaucoma requiring trabeculectomy developed particularly in infants who had their cataract extraction very early. Glaucoma development was not more common in infants operated on for after-cataract.