Phakic Intraocular Lens Implantation for Treatment of Anisometropia and Amblyopia in Children: 5-year Follow-up

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy during 5-year follow-up of phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) implantation to correct high anisometropia in amblyopic children who were non-compliant with traditional medical treatment including spectacles or contact lenses. METHODS: Retrospective study of 10 eyes of 10 children with high anisometropia who underwent PIOL implantation (9 with an iris-supported IOL and 1 with a posterior chamber IOL). Patient age at the time of implantation ranged from 2 to 15 years. Mean preoperative spherical equivalent refraction was -10.14 ± 6.96 diopters (D) (range: +8.00 to -18.00 D). Mean logMAR corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 0.84 ± 0.52. Postoperative data at 6, 24, and 60 months were evaluated. RESULTS: Corrected distance visual acuity improved in all children. At 24 months, logMAR CDVA was 0.39 ± 0.35 and at 5 years was 0.36 ± 0.38 (range for both: 0.1 to 1.0) (P=.01). Improvement of more than three logMAR lines of CDVA was achieved in all children except for one (one line improvement) who was implanted with a posterior chamber PIOL. No loss of CDVA was detected in any patient. Five years after surgery, endothelial cell count was >2000 cells/mm(2) in eight (80%) patients; for the remaining two patients, one reported frequent eye rubbing and the other suffered ocular trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Phakic IOL implantation in children with anisometropic amblyopia showed a positive long-term impact on visual acuity.