Congenital and Developmental Cataracts: Focus on Strabismus Outcomes at Long-Term Follow-Up

To evaluate the incidence of strabismus in congenital and developmental cataract surgery in patients with a follow-up longer than five years.

All patients with congenital and developmental cataracts observed from 1996 to 2013 with a follow-up longer than five years were retrospectively included.

We included 117 patients (58 females and 59 males, mean age 0.62±0.3 years, 160 eyes) with congenital cataracts and 73 patients (32 females and 41 males, mean age 6.63±0.7 years, 121 eyes) with developmental cataracts. Before cataract surgery, strabismus was present in 88 patients with congenital cataracts (75.2%) and in 30 patients with developmental cataracts (41.1%) (p=0.01). After a follow-up of 9.26±1.3 years (range, 5-14 years), a significantly greater incidence of strabismus was observed after surgery only in patients with unilateral congenital cataracts who underwent cataract removal and primary IOL implantation (p=0.02). Distance BCVA and near BCVA were better after surgery for developmental cataracts (p<0.05). Presence of binocular vision was more frequent after surgery for developmental cataracts (p=0.001).

Incidence of strabismus and postsurgical onset of strabismus at long-term follow-up was greater in patients with congenital cataracts.