Early pediatric cataract surgery linked to greater long-term refractive changes
Children who undergo cataract surgery at a younger age experience significantly greater long-term refractive changes, including larger myopic shifts and greater anisometropia, compared to those operated on at older ages, according to a study.
In the retrospective study, researchers analyzed 451 eyes from 273 patients, with an average follow-up period of 15 years.
Younger age at the time of surgery was linked to greater myopic progression. In children who had surgery at or before age 2, eyes in bilateral cases experienced a median myopic shift of -8.2 to -11.2 diopters (D), while those with unilateral surgery showed anisometropic changes ranging from -8.0 to -10.6 D. In contrast, surgeries performed after age 2 resulted in more moderate changes, with shifts ranging from -3.7 to -6.5 D depending on the type of surgery and laterality.
Reference
Oshika T, Nishina S, Ura S, et al. Long-term refractive changes after pediatric cataract surgery: an average follow-up of 15 years. Am J Ophthalmol. 2025;S0002-9394(25)00272-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2025.05.035. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40447247.
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