AIM: To investigate the axial length(AL)and corneal curvature in patients with congenital cataract, and to provide references for development, treatment and prognosis of the disease.

METHODS: From January 2014 to December 2018, 229 patients(333 eyes)with congenital cataract aged less than 20 years old before surgery and without other ocular diseases or systemic diseases were included in the retrospective study. Their AL and corneal curvature were measured using IOL Master 500. Corneal curvature was represented by Km, which was the mean of K1 and K2.The data were statistically analyzed using partial correlation analysis, to detect the correlation between patients' AL, Km and age, and we conducted curve fitting for the correlated parameters and age. We compared bilateral and unilateral cataract's AL and Km, and we also compared male and female patients' AL and Km.

RESULTS: The correlation between patients' AL and age was significant(r =0.250, P=0.001), and the fitting curve was obtained with equation AL=20.85+0.96×ln(age), but patients' Km wasn't significantly correlated with age(r= -0.024, P=0.759). No significant difference was found in AL between male and female patients(P=0.495), but Km was significantly greater in female patients than that in male patients(P=0.018). AL wasn't significantly different between eyes from bilateral cataract and affected eyes from unilateral cataract(P=0.159), but AL was significantly shorter in bilateral cataract than that in healthy eyes from unilateral cataract(P=0.033). No significant difference was found in Km between eyes from bilateral cataract and affected eyes or healthy eyes from unilateral cataracts(P=0.483, 0.176).

CONCLUSION: Congenital cataract may affect AL growth, especially in bilateral cataract, AL was shorter in bilateral cataract than that in healthy eyes from unilateral cataract. No effect of congenital cataract was found on corneal curvature, but corneal curvature was significantly greater in female patients than that in male patients.