IMPLANTATION IN CHILDREN

With the development of posterior chamber lenses and continuous curvil inear capsulorhexis, and with the availability of viscoelastic agents, the use of intraocular lenses (IOLs) in children is becoming more pop ular. Since 1982, we have implanted posterior chamber IOLs (PC-IOLs) i n the capsular bags of 61 cataractous eyes of 46 children and adolesce nts. The goal was in-the-bag placement facilitated by the use of a sma ll capsulectomy, and, since 1984, by the use of the continuous curvili near capsulorhexis. Forty-four cataracts were congenital, 13 were trau matic, and 4 were developmental. Cataract extraction with IOL implanta tion was performed in 16 (26%) preschool cases (ages 2 through 5), in 31 (51%) child cases (ages 6 through 12), and 14 (23%) adolescent case s (ages 13 through 18). Surgical and postoperative complications were minimal. Visual results were good. Fifty-six percent of preschoolers, 87% of children, and 86% of adolescents achieved 20/40 or better best corrected vision, with 79% of the total cohort achieving 20/40 or bett er. Overall, 35% achieved an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or bet ter. All but two cases had improvement in best corrected vision; if 20 /20 was not attained, the cause was mainly due to deprivation amblyopi a. Forty-eight percent of patients were within a diopter of emmetropia .