Secondary glaucoma after congenital cataract surgery

Glaucoma has been recognized as an infrequent but serious complication following surgery for congenital cataract in childhood. We conducted a retrospective review of patients in whom glaucoma had developed after surgery for congenital cataract.

We reviewed the records of 87 eyes of 53 patients on whom cataract surgery had been performed between February 1982 and March 1995 at Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital, Samsun.

The average postoperative follow-up is 4.5 years (range 1 to 12 years). We identified open angle glaucoma (OAG) in 17 eyes, chronic angle closure glaucoma (ACG) in six eyes, and acute angle closure glaucoma (AACG) in two eyes. The average time between cataract surgery and the diagnosis of glaucoma was 6.08 years (range one week to 10 years). The mean time to diagnosis of glaucoma was 4.7 years (range 4 months to 10 years) for OAG, 4.3 years (range 1 to 8 years) for ACG and, for AACG, 7 days and 10 months following surgery. Medication alone was successful in intraocular pressure control in 17 of 25 eyes (<21 mmHg), and additional surgical procedures resulted in intraocular pressure control in eight eyes in which they were performed.

Patients undergoing cataract surgery early in life should be routinely examined for possible postoperative glaucoma.