Predicting future axial length in patients with paediatric cataract and primary intraocular lens implantation

Creating a model to predict Axial Length (AL) growth in paediatric cataract and evaluating influence factors.

Eyes with AL measured at surgery and at least one measurement after a 6-month period, from children with unilateral or bilateral cataract and primary IOL implantation, were evaluated. A "rate of axial length growth" (RALG) was calculated for every single eye using these AL measurements and log₁₀ age. One average RALG was calculated for All Eyes and for the groups of Bilateral and Unilateral, Gender, Age at the Surgery, different Visual Acuity, Bilateral Excluded and Not-excluded eye, and Affected and Not-affected eye in unilateral, for comparisons.

Average age at surgery from 76 children was 2.83 ± 2.74 (0.11-12.21) years with follow up of 2.84 ± 1.84 (0.52-8.17) years, 29 (37.66%) had unilateral cataract. A total of 357 AL measurements were used, average of 4.70 ± 2.13 (2-10) measurements per eye. The average RALG for all eyes was 4.51 ± 3.06. There were no RALG significant differences comparing Unilateral and Bilateral eyes (p = 0.51), Male and Female (p = 0.26), Age at Surgery <0.5 and >0.5 years old (p = 0.21), both eyes in Bilateral cases (p = 0.70) and Unilateral Affected and Not-affected eyes (p = 0.18). The equation Al = initial AL + slope ×  Log₁₀ ((age + 0.6)⁄(initial age + 0.6)) estimates ALs in different ages.

A model to predict AL growth in paediatric cataract was developed. Different studied factors did not significantly influence AL growth.