Objective: To determine the incidence of glaucoma following infantile cataract surgery with primary posterior chamber lens (PC-IOL) implantation for isolated non-traumatic cataract.

Methods: Retrospective institutional medical record review.

Results: Thirty-six eyes of 31 patients were identified. Small incision surgery (including posterior capsulotomy and anterior vitrectomy) was performed at a mean age of 7.6 months (median: 7 months; range: 5 to 10 months) with in-the-bag PC-IOL placement in 27 eyes and sulcus PC-IOL placement in 9 eyes. Last follow-up examination was a mean 67.1 months postoperatively (median: 65 months; range: 60 to 84 months). No eye was diagnosed as having glaucoma. In a similar population (same methods, age range, and ethnic group) that was left aphakic, the incidence of glaucoma was 22 of 57 eyes (38.6%).

Conclusions: Primary PC-IOL implantation may confer protection against delayed-onset glaucoma following cataract surgery between 5 and 10 months of age.