High prevalence of amblyopia after congenital cataract surgery in children, review finds
Early surgery for congenital cataracts significantly lowers the risk of amblyopia in children, but it also increases the risk of complications like glaucoma, according to a study.
The study analyzed data from 28 studies involving over 2,100 children and more than 3,300 eyes, focusing on how surgical timing, cataract type, and follow-up influenced outcomes.
Early surgery, defined as before 8 weeks of age for unilateral cases and before 12 weeks for bilateral, significantly reduced the risk of amblyopia but was associated with a higher rate of complications, especially glaucoma (26% vs 6%). The timing of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation did not significantly impact visual outcomes.
Children with partial unilateral cataracts had worse visual prognosis than those with bilateral complete obstructions, and amblyopia therapy beyond age 6 showed limited benefit.
Reference
Hailaiti A, Yu X, Yao K, Shentu X. Postoperative amblyopia in children with congenital cataracts: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ital J Pediatr. 2025;51(1):141. doi: 10.1186/s13052-025-02010-x. PMID: 40390126.
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