For this reason it is very important to have a regular follow up even after the surgery is done. To examine the eye properly in an uncooperative young child after cataract surgery, the ophthalmologist may occasionally give sedative medicine or even general anesthesia. The care of the eye after surgery is the most important part of treatment. As we remove the lens of the eye, the refractive power of the same has to be compensated in some form to enable the eye to see properly. Moreover, they are unsuitable for children who have cataract in only one eye, because the vision from the two eyes cannot be properly combined in the brain, when one eye focuses in the normal way and the other looks through a very strong spectacle lens.
Contact lenses provide both vision and appearance that is normal.
But the main disadvantage is that they have to be properly cleaned and maintained, or else there is a small risk of infection. It may be difficult to place them in the eye and to remove them for cleaning especially in small children between 1 to 5 years of age. Also the chances of losing the contact lens is also very high in this age group. Intraocular lenses are a very good option, as they do not require any maintenance. But these are not preferred in children below 2 years of age.