Hotspots and frontiers of genetic research on pediatric cataracts from 2013 to 2022:a scientometric analysis

AIM:To explore the hotspots and frontiers of genetic research on pediatric cataracts.METHODS:Global publications from 2013 to 2022 related to genes in pediatric cataracts were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection,and were analyzed in terms of the publication counts,countries,journals,authors,keywords,cited references,subject categories,and the underlying hotspots and frontiers.RESULTS:Totally 699 publications were included in the final analysis.The predominant actors were identified,with China(n=240)and PLoS One(n=33)being the most productive country and journal respectively.The research hotspots extracted from keywords were crystallin gene mutations,pathogenicity evaluation,phenotypes of ocular and neurodevelopmental abnormalities,genes encoding membrane proteins,and diagnosis of multisystemic disorders.The co-cited articles formed 10 clusters of research topics,including FYCO1(56 items),mutation screening(43 items),gap junction(29 items),the Warburg Micro syndrome(29 items),ephrin-A5(28 items),novel mutation(24 items),eye development and function(22 items),cholestanol(7 items),OCRL(6 items),and pathogenicity prediction(3 items).The research frontiers were FYCO1,ephrin-A5,and cholestanol.Cell biology showed the strongest bridging effects among different disciplines in the field(betweenness centrality=0.44).CONCLUSION:With the progress in next-generation sequencing and multidisciplinary collaboration,genetic research on pediatric cataracts broadens the knowledge scope of the crystalline lens,as well as other organs and systems,shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of systemic diseases.Cell biology may integrate multidisciplinary content to address cutting-edge issues in the field.

Dynamic profile of ocular refraction in pediatric cataract patients after lens surgeries

AIM: To study the change in ocular refraction in patients with pediatric cataracts(PCs) after lens extraction. METHODS: A total of 1258 patients who were undergoing cataract extraction with/without intraocular lens(IOL)implantation were recruited during preoperative examinations between Jan 2010 and Oct 2013. Patient ages ranged from 1.5 mo to 14y. Follow-ups were conducted at1 wk, 1, and 3 mo postoperatively and every 3 mo in the first year, then 6 mo thereafter. Ocular refraction [evaluated as spherical equivalent(SE)] and yearly myopic shift(YMS)were recorded and statistically analyzed among patients with age at surgery, baseline ocular refraction, gender,postoperative time and laterality(bilateral vs unilateral). RESULTS: By Dec 31st 2015, 1172 participants had been followed for more than 2y. The median follow-up period was 3y. The critical factors affecting the ocular refraction of PC patients were baseline ocular refraction, postoperative time for both aphakic and pseudophakic eyes. YMS grew most rapidly in young childhood and early adolescence. CONCLUSION: After lens surgeries, ocular refraction in PC patients shows an individual difference of change.Further concerns should be raising to monitor the rapid myopic shift at early adolescence of these patients.

Secondary glaucoma after pediatric cataract surgery

AIM: To determine the incidence and risk factors of secondary glaucoma after pediatric cataract surgery.METHODS: Two hundred and forty nine eyes of 148 patients underwent cataract surgery without intraocular lens (IOL) implantation (group 1), and 220 eyes of 129 patients underwent cataract surgery with IOL implantation (group 2) retrospectively, were evaluated between 2000 and 2011. The outcome measure was the presence or absence of post-cataract surgery glaucoma, defined as an intraocular pressure (IOP) ≥26mmHg, as measured on at least two occasions along with corneal or optic nerve changes.RESULTS: The mean follow-up periods of group 1 and 2 were (60.86 ±30.95) months (12-123 months) and (62.11±31.29) months (14-115 months) respectively. In group 1, 12 eyes of 8 patients (4.8% ) developed glaucoma. None of the patients developed glaucoma after surgery in group 2. The mean age of the patients at the cataract surgery was (2.58±0.90) months (1 month-4 months) and the average period for glaucoma development after surgery was (9.50 ±4.33) months (4-16 months) in group 1. Three of the 12 glaucomatous eyes were controlled with antiglaucomatous medication and 9 eyes underwent trabeculectomy+mitomycinC surgery.Onepatientunderwent a second trabeculectomy+mitomycin C operation for both of his eyes.CONCLUSION:The incidence of glaucoma after pediatric cataract surgery is very low in patients in whom IOL is implanted. The aphakic eyes after pediatric cataract surgery are at an increased risk for glaucoma development particularly if they underwent surgery before 4 months of age.

A Meta-analysis on the clinical efficacy and safety of optic capture in pediatric cataract surgery

AIM： To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of optic capture in pediatric cataract surgery.·METHODS： Searches of peer-reviewed literature were conducted in Pub Med, Embase and the Cochrane Library. The search terms were ＂optic capture＂ and ＂cataract＂. The retrieval period ended in December 2014.Relevant randomized controlled trials（RCTs）, case-control studies and cohort studies were included. Meta-analyses were performed. Pooled weighted mean differences and risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated.· RESULTS： Ten studies involving 282 eyes were included, 5 of which were RCTs involving 194 eyes. The application of optic capture significantly reduced both opacification of the visual axis（RR： 0.12; 95% CI： 0.02 to0.85; P =0.03） and occurrence of geometric decentration（RR： 0.09; 95% CI： 0.02 to 0.46; P =0.004）. But it did not significantly affect best corrected visual acuity（BCVA）（WMD：-0.01; 95% CI：-0.07 to 0.05; P =0.75） and influence the occurrence of posterior synechia（RR： 1.53;95% CI： 0.84 to 2.77; P =0.17）. Deposits in the anterior intraocular lens were significantly increased in the optic capture group early after surgery（RR： 1.40; 95% CI： 1.05 to 1.86; P =0.02） and at the last follow-up（RR： 2.30;95% CI： 1.08 to 4.92; P =0.03）. The quality of the evidence was assessed as high.· CONCLUSION： The application of optic capture significantly reduces opacification of visual axis and occurrence of geometric decentration but do not significantly improve BCVA with notable safety.

Cost of pediatric cataract surgery in Maharashtra,India

AIMTo calculate the direct cost of pediatric cataract surgery, from the provider's perspective.

Management of Cataracts in Pediatric Patients with Developmental Delay at a Tertiary Care Pediatric Hospital

Background: Childhood cataract causing visual impairment can compound developmental delay (DD) if left untreated. Current literature in children with DD is limited;thus, we evaluated cataract etiology, challenges, and treatment compliance in this group. Purpose: To report the presentation and challenges associated with cataract management in children with developmental delay (DD) at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Methods: Retrospective review of 100 patients (173 eyes) presenting with cataracts and DD from February 2014 to December 2017. Results: 100 patients (173 eyes) were included. 27 patients had unilateral cataracts and 73 bilateral. The average age was 120.55 months (SD 63.77, range 5.87 - 243.16);the average follow-up period was 57.7 months (SD 139.14, range 1.03 - 1412.30). 61% of patients (55% eyes) underwent medical management for cataracts due to: cataract was not visually significant (66% eyes), parent deferred surgery (11% eyes), self-abusive behavior (14% eyes), and medical conditions that limited visual recovery (9% eyes). 32% of patients were unable to perform objective visual acuity by age 5. Patients with self-abusive behavior were more likely to present with or develop retinal detachment (RD) (35%) compared to those without self-abusive behavior (6%) (p = 0.0028). A statistically significant difference in the difficulty of examination (p < 0.0001) and poor compliance of glasses wear (p < 0.0001) was found in nonverbal patients. Surgical complications occurred in 39% of eyes. Those with intraocular lens placement after cataract extraction were more likely to develop visual axis opacification (27% eyes) than those who remained aphakic (9% eyes) (p = 0.0313). Conclusion: Cataract extraction in pediatric patients with DD can be associated with success, however, providers should prepare for limitations in managing these patients.

Timing and approaches in congenital cataract surgery:a four-year,two-layer randomized controlled trial

AIM：To compare visual prognoses and postoperative adverse events of congenital cataract surgery performed at different times and using different surgical approaches.METHODS：In this prospective,randomized controlled trial,we recruited congenital cataract patients aged 3 mo or younger before cataract surgery.Sixty-one eligible patients were randomly assigned to two groups according to surgical timing：a 3-month-old group and a 6-month-old group.Each eye underwent one of three randomly assigned surgical procedures,as follows：surgery A,lens aspiration（I/A）;surgery B,lens aspiration with posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis（I/A＋PCCC）;and surgery C,lens aspiration with posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis and anterior vitrectomy（I/A＋PCCC＋A-Vit）.The long-term best-corrected visual acuity（BCVA） and the incidence of complications in the different groups were compared and analyzed.RESULTS：A total of 57 participants（114 eyes） with a mean follow-up period of 48.7 mo were included in the final analysis.The overall log MAR BCVA in the 6-month-old group was better than that in the 3-month-old group（0.81±0.28 vs 0.96±0.30;P=0.02）.The overall log MAR BCVA scores in the surgery B group were lower than the scores in the A and C groups（A：0.80±0.29,B：1.02±0.28,and C：0.84±0.28;P=0.007）.A multivariate linear regression revealed no significant relationships between the incidence of complications and long-term BCVA.CONCLUSION：It might be safer and more beneficial for bilateral total congenital cataract patients to undergosurgery at 6 mo of age than 3 mo.Moreover,with rigorous follow-up and timely intervention,the postoperative complications in these patients are treatable and do not compromise visual outcomes.

Factors influencing stereoacuity levels after surgery to correct unilateral developmental cataracts in children

·AIM: To evaluate factors influencing stereoacuity after surgery to correct unilateral developmental pediatric cataracts. ·METHODS: We retrospectively surveyed 110 patients who had undergone removal of unilateral acquired developmental cataracts and primary posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation between February 1992 and December 2009. In all patients, stereoacuity was assessed using the Titmus test at the last follow -up period of minimum 2 years after surgery. Patients were divided into two groups according to the extent of stereoacuity : group 1 ( = 42 ) had stereoacuity values ≤ 100sec/arc and group 2 ( =68) values 】100sec/arc. The values of ten parameters associated with stereoacuity were measured in each group: Cataract types, preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the affected eyes, preoperative inter -ocular difference of BCVA, age at cataract surgery, operative method, secondary cataract, postoperative strabismus, postoperative BCVA of the affected eyes, postoperative inter-ocular difference of BCVA, and anisometropia. ·RESULTS: The extent of stereoacuity was significantly associated with both operative method and secondary cataract ( =0.000 and =0.016, respectively). All patients in whom the posterior capsule was preserved, had poor stereoacuity 】100sec/arc. Significant correlations with the extent of stereoacuity were found with postoperative strabismus ( =0.048),postoperative BCVA of the affected eyes ( =0.002), anisometropia ( =0.034). ·CONCLUSION: Postoperative stereoacuity was better in patients who underwent either optic capture or anterior vitrectomy after posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis, and who didn’t develop secondary cataracts or strabismus postoperatively. Furthermore, postoperative BCVA of the affected eyes, and anisometropia influenced the stereoacuity of the patients surgically treated for unilateral developmental pediatric cataracts. ·

Morphological changes in the iridocorneal angle and their relationship with intraocular pressure after infantile cataract surgery

·AIM:To evaluate morphological changes in the iridocorneal angle after pediatric cataract surgery.·METHODS:Children who underwent primary infantile cataract surgery were included and 64 eyes from 41 children,including 18 with unilateral cataracts(18 eyes)and 23 with bilateral cataracts(46 eyes)were examined.All patients underwent two gonioscopic examinations to evaluate the iridocorneal angle,before the primary lens removal and before the secondary intraocular lens implantation.The anatomical changes in the iridocorneal angle and the relationship between intraocular pressure(IOP)and iridocorneal angle changes were also analyzed.·RESULTS:The iridocorneal angle was wide in 64 eyes before and after surgery.The trabecular meshwork pigmentation,number of iris processes in every quadrant of the iridocorneal angle,and the width of the ciliary body band in the superior and inferior quadrants at the second gonioscopic examination were significantly increased compared to those at the first examination(P<0.001,P<0.05,P<0.05.and P<0.05,respectively).IOP gradually increased at 1 mo after operation,and returned to the preoperative level at 3 mo.However,IOP still increased significantly at 6 and 12 mo.·CONCLUSION:The main changes after pediatric cataract surgery include an increase in trabecular meshwork pigmentation and number of iris processes,IOP gradually increase and has positive correlation with trabecular meshwork pigmentation and anterior insertion of iris process.

Management of cataract surgery in Lowe syndrome

AIM: To evaluate the ophthalmic and anesthesiologic management of cataract surgery in children with Lowe syndrome receiving lens removal, the development and management of secondary glaucoma.METHODS: This retrospective case series included 12 eyes of 6 children with genetically verified Lowe syndrome receiving cataract removal. Information regarding the type and duration of surgery and total anesthesia time were recorded. Additionally, intra-and postoperative complications were noted as well as clinical examinations such as visual acuity and funduscopy. RESULTS: All children received simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery at the mean age of 8.98±3.58 wk. Lensectomy combined with posterior capsulotomy and anterior vitrectomy was performed in all children. The mean time for cataract surgery per eye was 35.83±8.86 min, whereas the total time of surgery was 153.33±22.11 min. The mean extubation time and duration at recovery room was 42.33±22.60 min and 130.00±64.37 min, respectively. During surgery, a decrease of oxygen saturation below 93% was found in only one child. During the postoperative followup, nystagmus(6 children) and strabismus(5 children) was commonly found in contrast to no case of visual axis opacification. Secondary glaucoma developed in five eyes of three children, which was treated with topical eye drops in only one child. A trabeculectomy was performed in both eyes of one child, whereas removal of syechia and an iridectomy in one eye of one child. CONCLUSION: Bilateral simultaneous cataract surgery under general anesthesia is a safe surgical procedure in Lowe syndrome children. The glaucoma screening with intraocular pressure measurements is crucial in the postoperative management of Lowe syndrome patients to avoid additional visual impairment.