Pediatric Traumatic Cataracts at a Tertiary Eye Center in Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Traumatic cataract is the leading cause of significant monocular visual impairment in children. The cause of this type of cataract is preventable penetrating or blunt ocular injury. Lens extraction can improve the visual acuity but it also depends on the extent of the injury to other ocular structures. Objective: To describe the features of pediatric traumatic cataract presenting at a tertiary eye center in Indonesia. Methods: This study is a descriptive study and the data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of the patients who were diagnosed as pediatric traumatic cataract over the period of January 1st 2019 to December 31st 2019. Demographic data, trauma characteristics, clinical features, management, and pre- and post-operative Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) were reviewed retrospectively. Results: A total of 37 patients were diagnosed as pediatric traumatic cataract. Among these patients, 78.38% were boys, with the mean age of 9.14 ± 3.77 years old. Open globe injury was the mechanism of injury for 54.05% patients. Besides lens aspiration, additional procedures were membranectomy, anterior vitrectomy, primary posterior capsulotomy, and synechiolysis. Eighty-one percent patients had unilateral blindness preoperatively and 23.80% patients still had unilateral blindness on three months of follow-up. Conclusion: In pediatric patients, traumatic cataract occurred predominantly in boys while playing outside the house. The children who had ocular trauma still have the risk of blindness even after the surgery. Trauma prevention and avoidance by adult supervision when children engage in outdoor play activity are necessary.