Purpose:
To evaluate the incidence of strabismus in pediatric cataracts and the effects of strabismus and nystagmus accompanied by cataract on postoperative visual acuity.
Materials and Method:
Seventy-four eyes of 45 patients under 15 years old who had undergone cataract operation were included in this study. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 1.57±2.25 years (ranged between 3 months and 9 years). Twenty-nine of the patients (64%) had bilateral and 16 of the patients (36%) had unilateral cataract. Preoperative and postoperative visual acuities, as well as the presence of nystagmus and strabismus were recorded.
Results:
Seventeen of the patients (38%) had strabismus: 9 of them (53%) had esotropia (ET), and 8 of them had (47%) exotropia (XT). Fourteen (19%) of the total number of cases had nystagmus. The mean age was 5.8±4.4 years for the total group of patients, 4.6±3.0 years for patients with strabismus and 5.1±3.7 years for patients with nystagmus. Visual acuity measurements were not possible in 26 uncooperative patients. The visual acuity was 0.3 logMAR and over in 15 (31%) and 1.0 logMAR and under in 12 (25%) of the remaining of 48 eyes. Of a total of 28 eyes with strabismus, we were unable to measure visual acuity in 10 patients, and the visual acuities were 0.3 logMAR and over in 7 (39%) and 1.0 logMAR and under in 5 (28%) of the rest of the 18 patients. The mean visual acuity was significantly lower in the 8 of 14 patients with nystagmus whose visual acuity could be measured (1.25±0.45 logMAR) than in both the patients without strabismus (0.44±0.59 logMAR) and the patients with strabismus (0.66±0.56 logMAR) (p=0.019 and p=0.015, respectively).
Discussion:
Although strabismus is seen more often in childhood cataracts compared to general population, the presence of strabismus has no negative effect on visual acuity after cataract surgery, while nystagmus is the main factor limiting the visual outcome. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2012; 42: 111-5)
Keywords: Childhood, cataract, strabismus, nystagmus, visual acuity