Cataract surgery in infantile eyes, which are microphthalmic, can be even more demanding.

In addition, the frequent presence of other ocular and systemic anomalies such as nystagmus, glaucoma, amblyopia, and higher rate of postoperative complications may limit the success of cataract surgery.

In our previous study, the investigators examined the intraoperative performance and postoperative outcomes of bilateral cataract surgery in microphthalmic eyes of patients before their first birthday. At 1 year, the postoperative results showed that good visual outcomes could be obtained in microphthalmic eyes.

Since only a few studies have reported outcomes, and that too only short term of cataract surgery on microphthalmic eyes, in this prospective observational study we evaluated the long-term impact of bilateral cataract surgery on eyes with microphthalmos. The investigators examined the outcomes, complication rates, influence of age at surgery on pattern of axial growth and central corneal thickness and visual and orthoptic assessment in these eyes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Presence of microphthalmos and congenital cataract.
• Microphthalmos was defined as an eye with an axial length (AL) that is more than 2 SD smaller than the normal for that age group according to Gordon and Donzes

Exclusion Criteria:

- Children with congenital anomalies such as posterior persistent fetal vasculature causing stretching of the ciliary processes or a tractional retinal detachment, aniridia, and chorioretinal coloboma were excluded.

72 eyes of 36 patients with microphthalmos who underwent bilateral congenital cataract surgery between January 2003 and June 2008.