Biometry data from Caucasian and African-American cataractous pediatric eyes

PURPOSE. To report the biometry data of pediatric cataractous eyes ( randomly selected single eye in bilateral cases; cataractous eye in unilateral cases) and to compare the biometry data of the unilateral cataractous eye with the data of the corresponding noncataractous fellow eye. METHODS. The study was a chart review/analysis of immersion A-scan biometry measurements, excluding traumatic cataract or lens subluxation. RESULTS. Three hundred ten eyes were examined at surgery. The mean age was 45.30 +/- 48.10 months; globe axial length (AL), 20.52 +/- 2.87 mm; anterior chamber depth (ACD), 3.29 +/- 0.60 mm; and lens thickness ( LT), 3.62 +/- 0.86 mm. During the first 6 months of life, AL increased 0.62 mm/mo, 0.19 mm/mo from 6 to 18 months, and 0.01 mm/mo during 18 months to 18 years of age. The girls had shorter ALs than did the boys (P = 0.090), and the African-American subjects had longer ALs than did the Caucasians (P < 0.001). Eyes with unilateral cataract had shorter ALs than those with bilateral cataracts before 60 months of age, but had longer ALs than the eyes with bilateral cataracts after 60 months of age. Eyes of the female subjects had shallower ACDs than those of male subjects (P = 0.026). Eyes with unilateral cataract had shallower ACDs than those of eyes with bilateral cataracts (P = 0.001). In the children > 5 years of age, LT was significantly greater in eyes with unilateral cataract than in those with bilateral cataract. AL of the unilateral cataractous eye was significantly shorter than that of the fellow noncataractous eye before 6 months of age (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS. This study begins to lay the groundwork for calculating pediatric IOL power in cataractous eyes by using pediatric ocular measurements.