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Cataract surgery in infants: should I implant an IOL?
Author(s) -
VANDERVEEN D
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2014.3452.x
Subject(s) - aphakia , medicine , context (archaeology) , intraocular lens , implant , cataract surgery , contact lens , socioeconomic status , pediatrics , optometry , ophthalmology , surgery , population , paleontology , environmental health , biology
Implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL) in infancy remains controversial, and the decision about implantation may be driven by many factors. Some of these factors include age of the infant, unilateral vs bilateral status, presence of other ocular abnormalities, age at surgery, socioeconomic status of the family, environmental conditions, and surgeon preference and expertise. The risks and benefits of alternatives for correction of aphakia in infants will be reviewed, and current practice strategies in the United States discussed. The results of the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study, a randomized prospective multicenter study, can also help decision making in this context. This study showed, to age 5 years, similar visual outcomes for infants who had IOL vs. contact lens correction of unilateral aphakia. However, there was a higher rate of adverse events (81% vs 56% eyes) and additional intraocular surgeries (72% vs 21%) in the group receiving primary IOL implantation compared to the group treated with an aphakic contact lens. These risks should be weighed with regard to the other factors at play in each case of infantile cataract.