Duration of form deprivation and visual outcome in infants with bilateral congenital cataracts.

PURPOSE: To determine optimal timing for operating on dense bilateral congenital cataracts and to define latent periods for binocular visual deprivation.

METHODS

A retrospective review of the records of children that had undergone bilateral lensectomies at our center. Infants with bilateral, dense, visually significant cataracts who had undergone lensectomy within the first year of life from 1992 to 2000 were identified. Children with other ocular anomalies, neurological and systemic disorders, intraocular lenses, or with fewer than 5 years of follow-up were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 13 children were identified. The mean age at surgery was 8.7 weeks (range, 3-20; SD 5.3). The mean interval between surgeries of the 2 eyes was 3.8 days (range 0-7; SD 3.2). The median final visual acuity at 5 years of age was 6/18 (range, 6/5-6/36). There was a moderate correlation between (log) visual outcome and time to surgery (r = -0.59, p = 0.002, r(2) = 0.35).

CONCLUSIONS

Visual acuity after surgery for bilateral congenital cataracts appears to decline exponentially with duration of visual deprivation.