Childhood Cataract: Presenting Features and Surgical Outcomes at Guinness Eye Centre, Onitsha

Childhood cataract is one of the most treatable causes of preventable blindness in children, yet delays in presentation and surgical intervention remain common in many parts of Nigeria. This study describes the presenting features and surgical outcomes of childhood cataract at the Guinness Eye Centre, Onitsha, Anambra State, South East Nigeria. A retrospective descriptive study will be conducted by reviewing clinical records of all patients aged 0 to 15 years who underwent cataract surgery at the centre over a five-year period from 2019 to 2023. Data extracted will include age at presentation, laterality, presumed aetiology, pre-operative and post-operative visual acuity, type of surgical procedure, intraocular lens implantation status, and complications encountered. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarise findings and identify patterns in presentation and outcomes. Literature from sub-Saharan African eye centres consistently identifies late presentation, amblyopia, and inadequate post-operative optical rehabilitation as major barriers to good visual outcomes in paediatric cataract cases. This study contributes to the limited South East Nigerian evidence base and will highlight referral delays, parental awareness gaps, and systemic health system bottlenecks. Recommendations will target paediatric ophthalmology training, neonatal eye screening protocols, and community mobilisation programmes in Anambra State and surrounding areas. Improving early detection and access to quality paediatric cataract surgery is critical to preventing lifelong visual disability in Nigerian children. Keywords: childhood cataract, paediatric surgery, visual outcomes, Onitsha, blindness prevention