Spectacle Adherence Among Four-Year-Old Children in the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate spectacle adherence with impact-resistant lenses among 4-year-old children after unilateral cataract surgery in the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort analysis of randomized clinical trial data.

METHODS

Setting

Multicenter.

PATIENTS: One hundred and fourteen children randomized to contact lens correction or intraocular lens implantation following unilateral cataract surgery during infancy.

INTERVENTION: One-week diaries completed annually and retrospective telephone interviews conducted every 3 months to age 5 years to assess spectacle adherence with impact-resistant lenses. Visual acuity was assessed by a traveling examiner at age 4.5 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Spectacle adherence between ages 4 and 5 years.

RESULTS

Children with 20/40 or better vision in their treated eye were more likely to wear spectacles ≥80% of their waking hours than children with vision worse than 20/40 (66% vs 42%, P = .034). Reported adherence to spectacle wear correlated with reported patching (r = 0.30, P = .002). Spectacle adherence did not correlate with sex, type of healthcare insurance, or the refractive error in the treated or fellow eye. Seven patients with reduced vision in their treated eye reported <10% spectacle adherence.

CONCLUSIONS

These results confirm that it is possible to achieve high levels of spectacle adherence among 4-year-old children after unilateral cataract surgery during infancy. However, children with vision worse than 20/40 in their worse eye, who needed eye protection the most, had the worst adherence.