Epidemiology and Outcomes of Pediatric Traumatic Cataract in Upper Egypt: A Tertiary Center Study

Ocular trauma is one of the leading causes of acquired unilateral blindness in childhood.1,2 Apart from the permanent disability, ocular trauma has a profound impact on both patients and society at different levels, including, but not limited to, psychological trauma, cosmetic disfigurement, socioeconomic costs, and the need for specialized medical care and vocational rehabilitation.

Traumatic cataract is a common complication of pediatric eye injury. In developing countries, ocular trauma was responsible for up to 45% of childhood cataract. Vision loss induced by traumatic cataract is surgically manageable. However, the high risk of postoperative inflammation, posterior capsular opacification (PCO), amblyopia, and the associated ocular tissue damage may negatively impact visual outcome.

Several studies reported visual outcome of pediatric traumatic cataract in different populations. With the sacristy of studies on traumatic cataract in Egyptian children, we conducted this retrospective study to report the demographic features, visual outcome, and complications of pediatric traumatic cataract at Assiut University Hospital, the biggest tertiary referral center in Upper Egypt.