ABSTRACT
Context: Bilateral pediatric cataracts are important cause of visual impairment in children. Aim: To study the outcome of bilateral pediatric cataract surgery in young children. Setting and Design: Retrospective case series in a tertiary center. Materials and Methods: Records of pediatric cataracts operated between January 2001 and December 2003, with a minimum follow-up of 3 months, were reviewed retrospectively. Statistical Methods: Independent sample t-test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science, Chicago, USA) version 12. Results: 215/257 (83.7%) patients had a minimum follow-up of 3 months. The mean age of presentation to the hospital was 53 months (range: 0-168 months). Congenital cataract was present in 107 patients (58.2%) and developmental cataract in 77 patients (41.8%). The mean age at surgery was 55.2 months (range: 1-168 months). Out of 430 eyes, 269 (62.6%) had an intraocular lens implanted. The mean duration of follow-up was 13.1 months (range: 3-38 months). Pre-operatively, 102 patients (47.3%) had visual acuity <6/60, in the better eye, compared to 37 patients (17.2%) post-operatively (P < 0.001). Eighty-five patients (39.5%) had visual acuity >6/18. The most common early post-operative complication was fibrinous uveitis in 57 eyes (13.3%) and the most common delayed post-operative complication was posterior capsular opacification in 118 eyes (27.4%). The most important prognostic factor for poor outcome was congenital cataract (odds ratio [OR]: 26.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.4-158.5) and total cataract (OR: 4.8; 95% CI, 1.3-17). Conclusion: Nearly half of the eyes had visual acuity>6/18. The outcome was poorer in congenital cataracts, especially those operated after >1 year of age.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To review recent data on blindness and low vision due to cataract in Latin America. METHODS: Presentation of findings from population-based prevalence surveys conducted between 1999 and 2006 in nine Latin American countries covering 30 544 people aged 50 years and older. RESULTS: Prevalence of cataract blindness in people 50 years and older ranged from 0.5 percent in Buenos Aires to 2.3 percent in four provinces of Guatemala. Low vision from cataract ranged from 0.9 percent in Buenos Aires to 10.7 percent in Piura and Tumbes Districts in Peru. Cataract surgical coverage (CSC) was good in Campinas, Brazil; low in Paraguay, Peru, and Guatemala; and moderate in the other areas. Good visual outcome after cataract surgery nearly conformed to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in Buenos Aires (more than 80 percent of operated eyes able to see 20/60 or better), but ranged from 60 percent to 79 percent in most of the other settings, and was less than 60 percent in Guatemala and Peru. "Unaware that treatment is possible," "contraindications," "cannot afford," and "fear of operation" were the most common explanations for failure to come forward for surgery. CONCLUSIONS: In Campinas, Brazil, cataract is fairly well controlled. In Buenos Aires, the visual outcomes after cataract surgery nearly meet WHO standards. In most countries in Latin America, however, cataract intervention needs to be intensified and visual outcome improved. Reducing the costs of cataract surgery and providing effective health education and adequate program management are essential to combat the expected increase in visual impairment due to cataract in the region.
OBJETIVO: Hacer una revisión de los datos recientes sobre ceguera y visión reducida por catarata en América Latina. MÉTODO: Presentación de los resultados de estudios de prevalencia de base poblacional realizados entre 1999 y 2006 en nueve países latinoamericanos, que abarcaron 30 544 personas de 50 años o más. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de ceguera por catarata en personas de 50 años o más estuvo entre 0,5 por ciento en Buenos Aires, Argentina, y 2,3 por ciento en cuatro provincias de Guatemala. La visión reducida por catarata varió entre 0,9 por ciento en Buenos Aires y 10,7 por ciento en los distritos de Piura y Tumbes, Perú. La cobertura de cirugía de catarata fue buena en Campinas, Brasil; baja en Paraguay, Perú y Guatemala; y media en el resto de las áreas. Los resultados positivos de la cirugía de catarata estuvieron muy cerca de los estándares de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) en Buenos Aires (más de 80 por ciento de los ojos operados con visión de 20/60 o mejor), pero varió entre 60 por ciento y 79 por ciento en la mayoría de los otros lugares y fue inferior a 60 por ciento en Guatemala y Perú. Las explicaciones expuestas más frecuentemente para no someterse a esta operación fueron "no saber que el tratamiento es posible", "contraindicaciones", "no poder pagarlo" y "temor a la operación". CONCLUSIONES: En Campinas, la catarata está bastante bien controlada. En Buenos Aires, la visión después de la cirugía de catarata se acerca a los estándares de la OMS. No obstante, en la mayoría de los países de América Latina las intervenciones contra la catarata deben intensificarse y sus resultados deben mejorar. Es esencial reducir el costo de la cirugía de catarata y brindar una educación sanitaria eficaz y programas adecuados para combatir el esperado aumento en los trastornos de la visión por catarata en la Región.