Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine what effect posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation after congenital cataract surgery in children has on corneal endothelial cell survival in the long term.
Methods: :
All children over the age of one year who had undergone cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation at one centre and by one surgeon during a period of 9 years and who had had no intervention for at least 7 months were recalled for the initial assessment. The endothelial cell count was recorded by a non-contact mode of specular microscopy, using the Konan Noncon Robo SP 8000. Twenty four normal children (42 eyes) were examined over the same period and acted as a control group. They were recruited from children being admitted for routine strabismus surgery and volunteers and healthy relatives of other patients.All children who were still living in the area eight years later were recalled for repeat examination using the Topcon SP 1000 specular microscope . A similar group of twenty normal control children (33 eyes) were recruited but these were not the same individuals as in the initial control group.
Results: :
A complete set of results from surgery through the initial and repeat corneal endothelial cell measurements was obtained in 9 eyes in 6 children. Of the six children with intraocular lens implants, three had had unilateral cataract and three had had bilateral cataracts. When age changes were taken into account, there was no difference between initial cell counts in those who had undergone lens implantation and controls. In addition there was no significant difference between cell counts in operated eyes between first and repeat measurements 8 years later or between repeat measurements and the second control group.
Conclusions: :
Posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation after congenital cataract surgery in children does not significantly reduce the corneal endothelial cell count compared with controls even over the long term.
Keywords: cornea: endothelium • cataract