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Rupal H. Trivedi, MD, MSCR; M. Edward Wilson, MD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(1):38-42.

Objectives  To report the keratometry data of pediatric cataractous eyes (randomly selected single eye of bilateral cases; cataractous eye of unilateral cases) and to compare the keratometry data of the unilateral cataractous eye with the corresponding noncataractous fellow eye.

Methods  Retrospective review of preoperative data of patients who had undergone cataract surgery before 18 years of age. Eyes with traumatic cataract or lens subluxation were excluded.

Results  Of the 299 eyes analyzed in our study, the average (SD) keratometry value was 45.39 (3.08) diopters (D) (range, 39.25-63.5 D). Age and axial length (AL) demonstrated a significant linear relationship with values (P < .001, R²: logarithm of age, 0.31; axial length, 0.32). Keratometry values of younger children (aged 0-6 months) were significantly different from those of older children (P < .001). Girls had steeper corneas when compared with boys (P = .03). The values of eyes with cataract in monocular cases were steeper than that of bilateral cases (P = .07). For unilateral cataract, the eye with the cataract had a significantly steeper cornea than the fellow eye (P = .02).

Conclusion  The keratometry values of younger children were steeper than that of older children. In eyes with unilateral cataract, values of cataractous eyes were steeper compared with their noncataractous fellow eye.

Author Affiliations: Miles Center for Pediatric Ophthalmology, Storm Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.