2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
6 Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Part II: Pediatric Ophthalmology
Chapter 23: Childhood Cataracts and Other Pediatric Lens Disorders
Cataract Surgery in Pediatric Patients
Intraocular Lens Use in Children
The choice of optical device for correction of aphakia depends primarily on the age of the patient and the laterality of the cataract. Intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in children aged 1–2 years and older is widely accepted. The use of IOLs in younger infants, however, is associated with a higher rate of complications and larger shifts in refractive error with age. Early surgical intervention followed by consistent contact lens wear and patching of the uninvolved eye usually allows development of some useful vision. In most infants who are left aphakic, secondary IOL implantation can be performed after 1–2 years of age.
Infants with mild PFV have a higher incidence of adverse events after lensectomy compared with children with other forms of unilateral cataract, but visual outcomes are similar in both groups.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 10 - Glaucoma. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.