Long-Term Visual Outcome and Complications of Congenital and Developmental Cataract Surgery in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Eastern India: A Prospective Observational Study

Background: Clear vision during childhood is crucial for the proper development of the visual system; therefore, any obstruction like cataracts can result in long-term visual impairment such as strabismus and amblyopia. Hence, for early cataract development (2-3 months) and unilateral cataract, best visual acuity is acquired if a cataract operation is done between 4-6 weeks and amblyopia development is better prevented compared to surgery done at later weeks. For bilateral cataracts, surgery is best carried out at 6 weeks with 1 week apart for both surgeries, this is done to avoid amblyopia. Materials and Methods: Our study focused on the outcomes of congenital and developmental cataract surgeries at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Kolkata. Patients between 3 months to 12 years old with congenital or developmental cataracts undergoing surgery at the institute were evaluated over a 3-month followup period. Patients were examined post-surgery for early complications, followed by outpatient visits at RIO, Kolkata on specific intervals for up to 3 months, including visual acuity measurement, refraction, and monitoring for complications. Results: In our study, out of 130 eyes (taking each affected eye as a separate case), 81 (62%) were male and 49 (38%) were female. The mean Visual Acuity (VA) at onset in cataracts who presented at 3 years of age is 1.000 and final post op BCVA was 0.6776. R value according to Pearson’s coefficient is 0.257, 0.520, 0.599 respectively. Hence there is a positive correlation between age of onset of disease and Mean VA at onset as well as final BCVA at 3 months. PCO is the most common complication here and the percentage of the PCO is about 43.75%. Conclusion: Our study showed a positive correlation between the age of disease onset and age of presentation at hospital and visual acuity outcomes. The later the presentation or delay in seeking medical attention has much impact on the visual outcomes and related complications.