Childhood Cataracts – Overview
Childhood cataracts are clouding of the eye’s natural lens that occur in infants or young children. Unlike age-related cataracts in adults, it can interfere with normal visual development and. Furthermore, if left untreated, may lead to permanent vision impairment or even blindness.
The lens of the eye is meant to be clear. Hereby, allowing light to pass through and focus properly on the retina. In children with cataracts, this lens becomes partially or completely opaque, blocking the formation of a sharp image. This can significantly affect how the brain processes visual information during the critical years of development.
This condition can be congenital (present at birth) or acquired (developing later due to illness, trauma, or medication). They may affect one eye (unilateral) or both eyes (bilateral). Additionally, the level of vision loss can vary based on the size, location, and density of the clouding.
Childhood Cataracts
While this condition is rare compared to adult cataracts, they are one of the leading causes of treatable childhood blindness globally. Early detection, typically through newborn screening or routine eye exams, is key. In many cases, surgery followed by visual rehabilitation can restore useful vision.
Because normal visual development depends on clear images reaching the brain, any delay in treating this can result in amblyopia (lazy eye) or other permanent deficits. Timely diagnosis and coordinated care are essential to give children the best visual outcome.
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