Surgical Treatment of Congenital Cataract


If an eye lens of a child becomes cloudy to the extent that vision becomes unclear, it may be necessary to remove the lens.  The surgery, is essentially the same as normal cataract surgery.  If only the peripheral portion of the lens is affected, surgery may not be required because the child will still have central vision.  Small cataracts may also not require surgery.

If a child undergoes treatment of congenital cataract by cataract removal, an intraocular lens must be placed in the eye.  If it is not, the child must correct vision by wearing contact lenses or prescription glasses otherwise normal visual development will be affected.  If an artificial lens is placed, it may itself affect development and may need to be changed as the child's eyes grow and change, and if there are refractive errors or other eye conditions or diseases. 

It can be difficult to convince children to wear glasses.  If this is the case, overnight contact lenses may provide a solution.  Overnight contact lenses work by changing the shape of the cornea through the night and then the eye remains a more ideal shape throughout the day.  Children can be encouraged to wear glasses my positive remarks about the way they look with them on and parents can wear clear frames (if they don’t already wear glasses).  Also, it is important to ensure that glasses are comfortable.

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