Complications and visual outcomes after secondary intraocular lens implantation in children

To evaluate safety and visual outcomes in surgically aphakic children undergoing secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.

Retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series.

One hundred seventy-four eyes of 104 children (70 bilateral, 34 unilateral) who underwent secondary IOL implantation for aphakia after congenital cataract surgery at L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India, were analyzed. A minimum of 3 months of follow-up after surgery was required for inclusion in the study. Eyes with aphakia after surgery for traumatic cataracts and other associated ocular comorbidities were excluded. Main outcome measures were intraoperative and postoperative complications and visual outcome at the last follow-up.

Mean age at secondary IOL implantation was 6.08 ± 3.75 years. The mean follow-up was 25.7 ± 24.9 months. Mean best-corrected visual acuity improved from 1.08 ± 0.65 in aphakic children to 0.55 ± 0.51 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution in pseudophakic children at last follow-up (P < .0001). Overall, 51 eyes (35%) attained a final best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 (0.3 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution) or better, whereas only 2 eyes (8.7%) attained a final best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 (0.3 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution) or better in children who underwent secondary IOL implantation for unilateral aphakia. The most common postoperative complications were secondary membrane formation (17 eyes; 9.77%), optic capture (15 eyes; 8.6%), IOL decentration (9 eyes; 5.17%), and secondary glaucoma (11 eyes; 5%).

Secondary sulcus IOL implantation in children is a relatively safe procedure and leads to favorable visual postoperative outcomes.