Purpose of review: Pediatric cataract surgery remains a very important and difficult problem to manage. While dramatic advances have occurred in this field over the past 10 years, some technical aspects of surgery, changing refraction and functional outcome continue to pose significant problems. The aim of the present review is to update the reader on advances reported on the topic during the past year.
Recent findings: Manual capsulorhexis still remains a gold standard for the successful outcome of pediatric cataract surgery. Primary management of the posterior capsule is mandatory depending on the age of the child at surgery. Primary implantation of the intraocular lens after cataract removal is gaining popularity even in infants and young children. Short-term results of single-piece Acrysof in pediatric eyes are encouraging. Predicting axial growth and the refractive change that accompanies it is one of the major challenges for long-term care of children after surgery. The evaluation of rate of axial growth and its correlation with age at surgery, laterality, aphakia/pseudophakia and visual-axis obscuration is a positive step in the right direction. Despite satisfactory technical outcomes, the functional outcomes remain unpredictable.
Summary: With refinements in surgical techniques, improvisation of intraocular lenses and better understanding of growth of the pediatric eye, in the coming years intraocular lens implantation is likely to become an established mode of treatment of children even in the youngest age group.