[A preliminary report on extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation in children]

Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) implantation was performed on 94 eyes of children who were followed up for 6 approximately 30 months. IOLs were inserted in all of these eyes successfully with anterior vitrectomy used in several cases with traumatic cataract. The postoperative managements were similar to those in adults, but their complications were severer obviously than those of adults. Uveitis was the main postoperative complication which was characterized by severer anterior chamber reaction, longer duration and easier to form posterior iris synechiae and develop posterior capsular opacity. The follow-up results showed that the unilateral recovery rate from blindness is 90.1%, and 49.4% of these patients' corrected visual acuities were below 0.4. Because of the controversy on IOL implantation in children, it is the authors opinion that it should be cautious to perform IOL implantation on children and such an operation is not advocated for children under 3 years old. Children with unilateral cataract should be managed by experienced doctors, and it is very important to follow up carefully, to correct refractive error and carry out amblyopia treatment.