What Is Congenital Cataract? Its Causes And How To Treat It

What Is Congenital Cataract? Its Causes And How To Treat It . As the name suggests in congenital cataract, the infant is born with lens opacity. Normally the lens of the eye is clear. Light enters through it which is then focused on the retina to form an image. Nearly 10 to 12 % of vision loss in children all over the world is due to congenital cataract. Fortunately with modern day treatment it is possible to treat visual impairment caused due to congenital cataract.

Congenital cataract can be present in both eyes or it can be unilateral. The severity may also vary. In some children there is hardly any visual loss, whereas in some cases cataract can completely obstruct the vision and child may become blind.

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The exact cause of congenital cataract is not known. However infants born with congenital defect such as Down’s syndrome, Conradi syndrome, congenital rubella, Trisomy 13 are prone to have congenital cataract as an anomaly.

Parents can easily detect if there is a cataract in newborn infants. The pupil will appear white and cloudy. Frequently rapid eye movement is one of its symptoms.

Causes Of Congenital Cataracts

The exact cause of congenital cataract is not known. But it has been observed that development of certain disease during pregnancy can cause congenital cataract. For example, the most common diseases during pregnancy that may be responsible for congenital cataract include rubella, toxoplasmosis, varicella or herpes simplex infection.

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Syphilis is also one of the causes for development of congenital cataract in infants.

Chromosomal disorders and metabolic diseases may have one of its manifestations as congenital cataract. This includes Down’s syndrome, trisomy 13, Marfans syndrome, Hypoglycemia, Conradi syndrome etc. Galactosemia, Fabry disease are metabolic diseases. In these diseases, specific enzyme is missing which may be necessary for metabolic activities.

Use of corticosteroids during pregnancy and exposure to radiation during pregnancy may also become a cause for congenital cataract.

How To Treat Congenital Cataract?

Congenital cataract needs to be removed surgically, but at the same time not all congenital cataracts need to be removed. Peripheral cataract may not need surgery as the vision in center is not damaged. If the cataract is too small, then too it may not require surgical removal.

Expert opinions vary whether to perform the surgery in infancy as the complications may be great. Secondary glaucoma is one of the complications. Also the use of anesthesia may be a concern.

Once the cataract is removed, lens is implanted in the child’s eye for better vision. As the child grows intraocular (IOL) lens it may need to be changed.

In some cases as the child grows, contact lens may be used to correct refractory error which is present after surgery. Also, eyeglasses may be recommended besides implantation of lens or artificial lens.