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Introduction: Central corneal thickness (CCT) is increased in aphakic/pseudophakic eyes compared with normals. Intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement in these eyes with glaucoma/glaucoma suspect status is critical to their evaluation/management, yet the nature and impact of abnormal CCT in these children remains controversial. Hypothesis: CCT becomes elevated in pediatric eyes after cataract removal, and this acquired tendency is accentuated in eyes with glaucoma. Methods: This ongoing, prospective, longitudinal study includes children with cataract and/or aphakia/pseudophakia. Standard CCT measurements were performed using DGH ultrasound pachymetry (DGH Technology Inc, Exton, Pennsylvania). Excluded were diagnoses with known CCT abnormality (eg, Down syndrome, aniridia). Normal fellow eyes of unilateral cataracts and unilateral aphakes/ pseudophakes served as controls. Results: Sixty-one children with congenital/developmental cataracts had pre-cataract-surgery-CCT data. Unilateral cases (n=28, 17boys/ 11girls, 18white/8black/2others) had a mean age of 31.3 months at presentation. Mean CCT((mu)m) was similar for affected vs. fellow eyes pre-cataract surgery (552.0 (plus or minus) 34.0 vs 545.8 (plus or minus) 37.4, respectively, p=0.07), with good correlation (CCTcataract vs. CCTfellow: R(2)50.79, p < 0.0001). Post-cataract-surgery, mean ? [CCTaphakic/pseudophakic- CCTfellow] (n511) was 65.9 (plus or minus) 54.7 (p<0.001), a mean increase of 11.4 mm/month after surgery for aphakic/pseudophakic eyes. In unilateral aphakic/pseudophakic children lacking pre-cataract- surgery-CCT (n=33), mean CCTof aphakic/pseudophakic vs fellow eyes was 633.8 (plus or minus) 88.4 vs 573.4 (plus or minus) 48.8, respectively (p<0.0001). Mean ? [CCTaphakic/pseudophakic-CCTfellow] was greater in aphakic/pseudophakic eyes with glaucoma vs those without glaucoma (94.1 (plus or minus) 57.4 vs 38.7 (plus or minus) 39.2, respectively, p<0.0001). Conclusions: While indirect evidence suggests that increased CCT in children with congenital cataracts and aphakia, and aphakic glaucoma may be acquired, this longitudinal study demonstrates that CCT in children with unilateral cataracts increases post-cataractsurgery while the fellow eye remains stable. As an acquired phenomenon, the increased CCT in aphakic/pseudophakic eyes, especially those with glaucoma, may not be nullprotectivenull against elevated IOP measurements in these eyes.
Z. Lim.
9.4.11.2 Glaucomas in aphakia and pseudophakia (Part of: 9 Clinical forms of glaucomas > 9.4 Glaucomas associated with other ocular and systemic disorders > 9.4.11 Glaucomas following intraocular surgery)
9.1.2 Juvenile glaucoma (Part of: 9 Clinical forms of glaucomas > 9.1 Developmental glaucomas)
2.2 Cornea (Part of: 2 Anatomical structures in glaucoma)