Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9570
ISSN: 2155-9570
Sara Shuaib, Rachael Niederer, Lazha Sharief, Susan Lightman and Oren Tomkins-Netzer
University College London, Moorfields Eye Hospital, United Kingdom
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Statement of the problem: Of all complications of chronic uveitis, cataract formation is the most frequent. Visual outcomes after surgery in these patients can vary greatly depending on type of uveitis, aetiology, method of cataract extraction surgery and whether or not a replacement intra-ocular lens was implanted. The purpose of this study was to compare visual outcomes and secondary complications in paediatric and adult patients with uveitis who had undergone cataract surgery. Methodology & theoretical orientation: Retrospective case study analysing clinical notes of 75 patients (108 eyes) with non-infectious uveitis who had undergone cataract surgery via phacoemulsification, 57 adults and 18 children were identified from a database of 1254 subjects. Follow-up ranged from the pre-operative period to 12 months following surgery, as well as last visit. Findings:Post-operative visual acuity improved significantly post-surgery in both groups; this improvement was maintained at 1 year (by a difference of 0.63ï?±0.08 LogMAR in adults and 0.77ï?±0.18 LogMAR in children) and at final follow-up. Time to cataract diagnosis and cataract surgery was shorter in children. Most common post-operative complications were posterior capsular opacification (PCO) and cystoid macular oedema (CMO) in both groups. Incidence of PCO was greater in children (69.2% versus 28% in adults), and time to PCO from date of surgery was shorter (6.3 versus 24.6 months, p=<0.001). Most common cause of vision loss across both groups was chronic CMO. Conclusion & significance: Children can achieve visual outcomes post-cataract surgery in uveitis at least as good as those seen in adults, which does not seem to be affected by the higher rate of PCO. More research needs to be done into the long-term effects of secondary capsular opacification on visual acuity post-surgery, especially in children.Figure 4 Graph comparing changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from pre-surgery through to 1 year following surgery between adults and children. Time scale in months. Bars represent standard error. * indicates significant difference in BCVA between groups at that time.
Sara Shuaib graduated from University College London Medical School in 2019. She conducted her intercalated BSc research under the uveitis division at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital, London.