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Outcome of Pediatric Traumatic Cataract in Upper Egypt: A Tertiary Center Study
Salma M Kedwany1, Mohamed G A Saleh1, Dalia Tohamy1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Insights
Pediatric traumatic cataracts, often caused by open globe injuries, can be successfully treated with surgery and intraocular lens implantation. Timely intervention significantly improves vision in children, highlighting the need for targeted prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Trauma Care
Background:
- Traumatic cataracts in children require specific management considerations.
- Understanding the demographics and causes of pediatric traumatic cataracts is crucial for prevention and treatment.
- This study focuses on cases without posterior segment involvement to isolate the impact of cataract surgery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the demographic characteristics, etiological factors, and surgical outcomes of pediatric traumatic cataracts.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation in restoring vision in children with traumatic cataracts.
- To identify key factors influencing the outcome of traumatic cataract surgery in young patients.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study of 34 children (<18 years) who underwent traumatic cataract surgery between January and June 2019.
- Exclusion criteria included posterior segment injury and less than 6 months of postoperative follow-up.
- Data collected included demographics, injury mechanism, surgical approach, and visual acuity outcomes.
Main Results:
- The study included 34 eyes of 34 children (68% boys), with a mean age of 10 years.
- Open globe injuries (62%) were most commonly caused by wooden sticks, while closed globe injuries (38%) were often from thrown stones.
- Corrected distance visual acuity improved significantly from LogMAR 2.63 preoperatively to 0.41 postoperatively (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric traumatic cataracts are prevalent in school-aged children, particularly after open globe injuries.
- Primary prevention through health education targeting this age group is recommended.
- Prompt surgical intervention with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation can restore useful vision.
Purpose:
To demonstrate the demographic features, causative agents, and outcome of pediatric traumatic cataract surgery in eyes without posterior segment involvement at Assiut University Hospital, Upper Egypt.
Patients And Methods:
This is a retrospective study on children (aged <18 years old) who underwent traumatic cataract surgery from January to June 2019. Children with posterior segment injury and those who did not complete 6 months of postoperative follow-up were excluded. The demographic features, mechanism and time of eye injury, clinical features, surgical approach, and outcome were recorded and analyzed.
Results:
The study included 34 eyes of 34 children, 23 (68%) of them were boys. The mean age at the time of cataract surgery was 10±3.97 years. Twenty-one eyes sustained open globe injury (62%) with the most common cause of trauma was wooden sticks, while 13 eyes had closed globe injury (38%) with the most common cause of injury was thrown stones. The time interval between eye injury and cataract surgery ranged from 1 day to 9 years with a median of 2.05 months. Posterior chamber intraocular lenses were implanted in all eyes; in 33 eyes, the posterior chamber intraocular lenses were implanted primarily at the time of cataract extraction. Corrected distance visual acuity significantly improved from 2.63±0.66 LogMAR preoperatively, to 0.41±0.38 LogMAR postoperatively (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Pediatric traumatic cataract is commonly present in primary school age especially after open globe injury. Primary prevention through health awareness should target this age population. Useful vision can be regained with timely proper surgical intervention and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation.
Clinicaltrialsgov Id:
NCT04630509.
