Purpose: Our aim was to obtain a better understanding of the etiologies and characteristics of pediatric cataracts treated at a single facility in China.
Methods: Medical records accrued over a 10-year period (from August, 2003 to July, 2013) at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University were reviewed retrospectively, identifying all patients treated for various subtypes of pediatric cataract. A database with 367 subjects under 14 years of age (598, including second-round surgeries) was generated.
Results: Of this cohort (n = 367; males: 232, 63.2%; females: 135, 36.8%), 200 patients (54.5%) had bilateral cataracts, and 258 (70.3%) were under 3 years of age. In all age groups and in all subtypes of pediatric cataract, males were most commonly affected. Congenital cataract was the most prevalent subtype, accounting for 296 patients (80.7%). Most congenital cataracts were associated with other ocular or systemic abnormalities; and in 48 patients (16.22%), they were hereditary. Traumatic cataract was the most common subtype (85.92%) of acquired cataract. The few instances of cataracts due to steroids (n = 3) or to metabolic disorders (n = 2) occurred in males and involved both eyes.
Conclusion: The majority of pediatric cataracts in this patient population were congenital in nature. A significant lag in ophthalmologic evaluation of Chinese infants was evident and should be addressed by educating both children and parents on risk factors for cataract development. Regular assessments are especially important in children subjected to long-term systemic steroid treatments.