Phakectomy in childhood: who are our patients?

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the profile of the patients who were submitted to phakectomy at the cataract service of the Hospital da Piedade, under the age of 10 years old, evaluating the main indications, the socioeconomic and gestational profiles in the relevant cases. METHODS: Data of 60 patients under the age of 10 years old submitted to lensectomy, were retrospectively analyzed, during the period between January of 2006 and December of 2007. All the surgeries were performed at the cataract service of the Hospital da Piedade, by the same surgeon. RESULTS: Of the 60 patients, 25 were female (42%) and 35 were male (58 %). 42 patients (70%) had the diagnostic of congenital cataract, 8 (13%) had subluxated lens and 10 (17%) had lensectomy for traumatic cataract. Considering congenital cataract patient's mothers, 40 (95%) underwent prenatal exams with more than 5 appointments, 9 (22.5%) of them were infected by rubella virus during the pregnancy. In subluxation cases, 8 had Marfan's syndrome. 10 cases of trauma occurred in boys. CONCLUSION: It was possible to verify that the majority of our patients submitted to phakectomy had congenital cataract and there is an important number of cases that still associated to rubella. Decreasing time since the suspect until the specialized consultation, will improve the visual prognosis of the children.

Cataract; Cataract; Cataract; Amblyopia; Retrospectives studies