Objective: To evaluate the incidence of postoperative glaucoma in children who have cataract extraction and posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.

Methods: Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Methods: The incidence of glaucoma of all etiologies was evaluated in 45 eyes of 37 selected consecutive patients aged 1 to 18 years who had cataract extraction and posterior chamber IOL implantation from 1991 to 1994. Mean follow-up was 23 months (range 6 to 38 months). Nineteen patients had traumatic and 18 had developmental cataract. Exclusion criteria were microcornea smaller than 9.0 mm in diameter, preoperative glaucoma, or poor pupil dilation. The surgical technique comprised a continuous curvilinear anterior capsulorhexis in most cases, extracapsular aspiration by Ocutome or phacoemulsification, and retention of the posterior capsule. A peripheral iridectomy was done in 7 eyes (16%). Postoperative medications included topical atropine combined with topical, subconjunctival, and systemic corticosteroids and antibiotics.

Results: Three patients with traumatic cataract developed postoperative glaucoma during the follow-up. One developed pseudophakic pupillary block; however, a peripheral iridectomy prevented glaucoma. Two other patients developed late-onset glaucoma: one secondary to angle recession and the other to peripheral anterior synechias. No patient with developmental cataract developed glaucoma.

Conclusions: Careful patient selection, atraumatic surgical technique, continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis, in-the-bag IOL placement, postoperative atropine, and topical and systemic corticosteroids significantly lower the incidence of pseudophakic pupillary block and glaucoma. Although no patient developed glaucoma, lifelong follow-up is mandatory to detect chronic open-angle and traumatic angle-recession glaucoma.