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The nationwide study of epikeratophakia for aphakia in children
Insights
Epikeratophakia offers a safe and permanent solution for correcting aphakia in young children. This surgical procedure achieved high success rates, improving visual acuity and reducing the need for glasses or contact lenses.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Surgery
Background:
- Aphakia in children under 8 years old presents significant visual challenges.
- Spectacle or contact lens correction can be difficult due to noncompliance or intolerance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of epikeratophakia for correcting pediatric aphakia.
- To assess visual acuity outcomes and refractive error following the procedure.
Main Methods:
- A nationwide study involving 97 surgeons performing 335 epikeratophakia procedures on 314 eyes.
- Included children under 8 years old, with some undergoing bilateral surgery or repeat procedures after tissue lens removal.
Main Results:
- An overall success rate of 89% was achieved, increasing to 95% with repeat surgery.
- 73% of patients achieved refractive correction within 3 diopters of emmetropia.
- Visual acuity improved in most patients tested.
Conclusions:
- Epikeratophakia is a safe and desirable option for pediatric aphakia correction.
- The procedure offers a permanent solution, overcoming challenges with optical noncompliance.
Abstract:
In the nationwide study of epikeratophakia, 97 surgeons performed a total of 335 procedures in 314 eyes for the correction of aphakia in children under the age of 8 years 1 month. Fifteen children underwent bilateral surgery. Thirty-six tissue lenses were removed and 21 of these eyes underwent a second epikeratophakia procedure. Overall, the success rate for procedures was 89%, and with repeated surgery it was 95% for eyes. Seventy-three percent of the patients were within 3 diopters of emmetropia after surgery. Visual acuity results in patients able to provide verbal responses to the illiterate E, Allen card, or Snellen line chart testing showed improvement in most cases. The safety of epikeratophakia makes it a desirable option for the correction of aphakia in children who are spectacle or contact-lens intolerant, and the permanence of the correction eliminates the problem of optical noncompliance.