Etiologic Spectrum and Surgical Epidemiology of Pediatric Cataracts in Kazakhstan: A Three-Year…

Cohort studyMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)· Jun 2026

Etiologic Spectrum and Surgical Epidemiology of Pediatric Cataracts in Kazakhstan: A Three-Year Retrospective Study from Two Tertiary Eye-Care Centers.

Kairat Ruslanuly, Lukpan Orazbekov, Ardak Auyezova … Dilyara Abessova

Cataract & RefractiveCohort studyQ4IF 0.1

Congenital cataract was the leading cause of pediatric cataract surgery in Kazakhstan.

Etiologic Spectrum and Surgical Epidemiology of Pediatric Cataracts in Kazakhstan: A Three-Year Retrospective Study from Two Tertiary Eye-Care Centers.

Kairat Ruslanuly … Dilyara Abessova

Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · Jun 2026 · Q4 in General Medicine

Background

Pediatric cataract comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders with varying etiologies, laterality patterns, age and gender distributions, and contemporary data from Central Asia remain limited.

Purpose

The study aimed to describe the etiologic spectrum, laterality, age, and gender distribution of pediatric cataract from a two-center tertiary cohort from Kazakhstan.

Methods

This retrospective two-center cohort study included all consecutive children aged ≤17 years who underwent cataract surgery between January 2022 and December 2024 at the Astana and Almaty branches of the Kazakh Eye Research Institute.

n = 782 eyes

78.03%

Results

78.03%

roughly 4 in 5 children had cataracts they were born with, not caused later

n = 782 eyes

More results

Median age at surgery was 6.5 years (IQR 4.3-9.9 years).

Children were distributed as ≤6 years: 294 (55.68%), 7-11 years: 156 (29.55%), and 12-17 years: 78 (14.77%).

Operated eyes were distributed as 466 (59.59%), 216 (27.62%), and 100 (12.79%), respectively.

More results

Traumatic cataract accounted for 68/528 children (12.88%) and was uniformly unilateral, with male predominance (53/68, 77.94%).

“

Conclusion

Overall, these findings demonstrate that the etiologic profile of pediatric cataract surgery varies substantially by age, gender, and laterality.

Etiologic Spectrum and Surgical Epidemiology of Pediatric Cataracts in Kazakhstan: A Three-Year Retrospective Study from Two Tertiary Eye-Care Centers.

Etiologic Spectrum and Surgical Epidemiology of Pediatric Cataracts in Kazakhstan: A Three-Year Retrospective Study from Two Tertiary Eye-Care Centers.

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