A US 10-year follow-up study has shown that infants who have cataract surgery still have a high risk of developing glaucoma, whether or not they receive an intraocular lens implant.

Published in Jama Ophthalmology, the National Eye Institute (NEI)-funded infant aphakic treatment follow-up study revealed that of the 110 children who’d had cataract surgery between one- and six-months-old, 24% had developed glaucoma and 20% were glaucoma suspects due to elevated eye pressure at 10-years-old. However, visual acuity was similar among those eyes that developed glaucoma compared to those eyes that had not, reported researchers.

“The results challenge the notion that replacing the child’s lens with an implanted one protects the child from developing glaucoma,” said principal investigator Dr Scott Lambert, professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University.

“These findings underscore the need for long-term glaucoma surveillance among infant cataract surgery patients,” added NEI director Dr Michael Chiang. “They also provide some measure of assurance that it is not necessary to place an intraocular lens at the time of cataract surgery.”