Treatment results in aphakic patients with glaucoma following congenital cataract surgery

To evaluate the clinical findings and possible risk factors of patients with aphakic glaucoma following congenital cataract surgery and identify the factors affecting response to glaucoma treatment.

A retrospective chart review of 173 patients was performed who underwent congenital cataract surgery before the age of 12 months and 40 eyes of 25 patients with aphakic glaucoma were enrolled. Age of the patients at the time of the cataract surgery, postoperative complications, additional ocular pathologies and the type of glaucoma treatment needed were investigated.

Mean age of 25 patients at the time of cataract surgery was 3.31 ± 2.28 (range 1-11) months with a mean follow-up period of 79 ± 30.5 (32-176) months. Out of 40 eyes, medical therapy was effective in 20 (50%) eyes, whereas 20 (50%) eyes needed surgery for glaucoma. In these 20 eyes, 6 (30%) eyes underwent only 1, 4 (20%) eyes underwent 2 and 10 (50%) eyes underwent 3 or more procedures. Age at the time of cataract surgery, pupillary membrane formation and additional ocular pathologies were not significantly associated both with the need for glaucoma surgery or the number of operations (p ≥ 0.05).

Aphakic glaucoma following congenital cataract surgery is a serious complication which requires surgery in half (50%) of the patients. Usually, more than one surgical procedure (70%) is needed. It can be detected even years after cataract surgery (range 0.3-94 months), so long-term careful follow-up is necessary.