SIMULTANEOUS SURGERY FOR BILATERAL PEDIATRIC CATARACTS

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To perform a review of the literature compa ring the safety of bilateral simultaneous lensectomies in children ver sus the risk of more than one general anesthesia within a short time f rame, and to study the results of bilateral surgery in a small group o f patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Bilateral simultaneous lensectomies were performed in 9 children (18 eyes), in whom increased anesthetic r isks warranted this approach. RESULTS: There were no postoperative com plications for at least 6 months. CONCLUSION: Data in the current lite rature on endophthalmitis after cataract surgery and on the risks of r epetitive anesthesia are inadequate to weigh the risk of bilateral end ophthalmitis against the reduced risk of one anesthesia versus two and the advantages of simultaneous early visual rehabilitation. Until suc h information becomes available, simultaneous removal of bilateral inf antile cataracts should probably be reserved for selected cases where the anesthetic risk is higher than average.