Bilateral cataract surgery in children: immediate sequential versus delayed sequential surgery.

Abstract

Purpose: To compare ocular and anesthesia-related complications in a cohort of patients having undergone either delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery (DSBCS) or immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS).

Methods: The medical records of children who underwent bilateral cataract surgery at our institution between 2012 and 2021were reviewed retrospectively. Included patients were 0-24 months of age, aphakic, and followed for at least 1 year after surgery.

Results: A total of 56 children were included: 23 underwent ISBCS; 33, DSBCS. Mean age at surgery was 2.6 ± 2.5 months for ISBCS patients and 2.8 ± 3.0 months for DSBCS patients (P = 0.752). Association with systemic diseases was more common in the ISBCS group. The mean anesthesia time per child was shorter in the ISBCS group (P < 0.001), although the mean total procedure time was similar in both groups. The rate of intraoperative anesthesia-related complications and intraocular complications was similar in both groups. There were no cases of endophthalmitis. The mean number of additional surgical interventions per child and the mean number of follow-up visits within 1 year were similar between groups. Children in the ISBCS group required fewer nights of hospital admission (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: ISBCS in children in this series did not lead to an increased incidence of ocular or anesthesia-related complications compared with DSBCS. ISBCS avoids repeated anesthesia and shortens the total time that the child is under anesthesia.