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. 2022 Dec;54(1):1988-1993.
doi: 10.1080/07853890.2022.2091156.

Age at recognition and age at presentation for surgery for congenital and developmental cataract in Kazakhstan

Aliya Kabylbekova  1 , Serik Meirmanov  2 , Altyn Aringazina  3 , Lukpan Orazbekov  4 , Ardak Auyezova  1
Affiliations

Age at recognition and age at presentation for surgery for congenital and developmental cataract in Kazakhstan

Aliya Kabylbekova et al. Ann Med. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the age at recognition and presentation for surgery for congenital and developmental cataract at Kazakh Eye Research Institute in Kazakhstan.

Methods: A retrospective review of children aged 0-18 years, who presented with congenital and developmental cataract between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2020. All medical records were reviewed. Gender, age at recognition, age at surgery, laterality, residential location (rural/urban) were recorded.

Results: The study population included 897 patients of children presented with congenital and developmental cataract over a 10-year study period, 58% of them were boys and 44.6% were from rural areas. Cataract was bilateral in 621 (69.2%) and unilateral in 276 (30.8%) of patients. Median age at recognition for patients with congenital/developmental cataract was 12 months. Median age at surgery for congenital/developmental cataract was 51 months. Only 14.7% of children underwent surgery within first year of life. The urban citizens underwent surgery earlier than patients from rural areas. The median delay in presentation for surgery was 15 months.

Conclusion: The average age at cataract surgery in the population of Kazakhstan is much older than in developed countries. It is essential to study barriers that associated with delayed presentation to build strategies to overcome them.Key messagesIt is known that cataract surgery in children early in life provides favourable visual outcome.Children with congenital and developmental cataract in Kazakhstan experience delay in surgical treatment.Children from rural areas undergo cataract surgery later than urban citizens.

Keywords: Childhood cataract; Kazakhstan; cataract surgery; children; delay.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have any proprietary interests or conflicts of interest related to this submission.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Comparison of age at recognition and the age at presentation for surgery for childhood cataract (Proportion of children, m: month; y: years).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Dynamics of ages at recognition of cataract and at surgery, and duration of delay in presentation for surgery in congenital/developmental cataract cases (median number of months).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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