A histopathologic study of bilateral aphakia with a unilateral intraocular lens in a child.

A 7-year-old boy who had had electrically induced cataracts since he was 6 months old underwent a lens extraction by phacoemulsification in his right eye. He later refused to wear a contact lens. When the boy was 10 year old, the lens of his left eye was removed by phacoemulsification and an intraocular lens was implanted. The intraocular lens functioned well and was tolerated by the boy until he died in an automobile accident at the age of 16 years. A histopathologic study of the eyes, which were obtained post mortem, showed a decreased corneal endothelial cell population, mild focal atrophy of iris structures, and mild lymphocytic infiltration in the implanted eye. Vitreous liquefaction and epiretinal membrane formation occurred in both eyes.