Corneal diameter in childhood aphakic glaucoma.

BACKGROUND

Glaucoma occurring after successful cataract surgery in infancy and childhood requires persistence to establish timely diagnosis and presents a therapeutic challenge. Previous studies have sought to identify risk factors, which would alert the clinician for the likelihood of developing glaucoma after cataract surgery in the young patient. Some risk factors are early age of surgery, microcornea, poor pupillary dilation, retained lens cortex, coexisting ocular anomalies, and cataract type. Other studies did not find these associations. In our experience, the majority of young aphakic glaucoma patients have microcornea. This study was carried out to investigate this association.

METHODS

The records were reviewed of all patients treated for aphakic glaucoma between 1991 and 1995 to determine the age at cataract surgery, age at glaucoma surgery, age at glaucoma diagnosis, corneal diameters, and other clinical characteristics.

RESULTS

Forty-eight eyes in 29 patients were identified with aphakic glaucoma. Forty-five of the 48 (94%) eyes were found to have microcornea when compared with the normal corneal diameter for their age.

CONCLUSION

All children undergoing cataract surgery should have their corneal diameters recorded. Patients with corneal diameters smaller than normal should be followed closely for the development of glaucoma throughout childhood and beyond.