Frequency and determinants of postoperative fibrinous uveitis after paediatric cataract surgery at a tertiary hospital in southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Aims: To determine the occurrence and risk factors of fibrinous uveitis following paediatric cataract surgery. Methods: This was a retrospective interventional study of children aged less than 16 years who underwent cataract surgery at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria between January 2008 and December 2012. Case records of eligible patients were reviewed and patients with missing or incomplete records were excluded. Information retrieved included age at presentation and at surgery, type of childhood cataract, morphology of the cataract, type of surgery performed, occurrence of fibrinous uveitis, and final visual outcome. Results: A total of 197 eyes of 137 children were studied, light-six (62.8%) were boys. The mean age at the time of surgery was 76.1 (±50.5) months. A total of 126 (64.0%) eyes underwent cataract surgery with implantation of polymethylmethacrylate intraocular lens. Seventy (35.5%) eyes had fibrinous uveitis; 15 (2 1.4%) of these eyes subsequently developed optic capture of intraocular lens. Older age at presentation, older age at surgery, uveitic cataracts, traumatic cataracts and intraocular lens implantation were associated with fibrinous uveitis in bivariate analyses. With logistic regression analysis, however, only intraocular lens implantation was found to be associated with fibrinous uveitis. Conclusion: fibrinous uveitis is a relatively common complication of paediatric cataract surgery in our setting. Implantation of polymethylmethacrylate intraocular lens is a significant risk factor for fibrinous uveitis after paediatric cataract surgery.