Keratometric measurements of cornea in first three years of life in children with congenital cataract

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Keratometry is a measurement curvature of the central 2-3mm of the anterior cornea and main meridians (horizontal and vertical) and secondary calculation of the full optic power of the cornea. Congenital cataract is opacity of the lens that a neonate is coming to life with. OBJECTIVE To measure a real curvature of the horizontal and vertical meridians of the cornea in the babies with and without congenital cataract (mostly with diseases of the eye adnexes) in one or both eyes, and to compare it. METHOD We examined 30 patients (60 eyes) with congenital cataract in one or both eyes (48 eyes were with and 12 eyes without congenital cataract), the study group, and 15 patients (30 eyes) with diseases of the eye adnexes, the control group. All patients were hospitalized at our clinic in the period 2002- 2004, and were 2-36 months old. RESULTS Keratometric measurements of the cornea in the study group: the eyes with congenital cataract 40-45.5 D, the eyes without congenital cataract 40-42.8 D. Keratometric measurements of the cornea in the control group were 39.9- 45 D. CONCLUSION There was no statistically significant difference between the horizontal and vertical meridian measurements of the cornea's curvature neither in the study nor in the control group.