“My sister's baby has been diagnosed with infant cataract. Is this curable?”
My sister's baby is 2 months old and has been diagnosed with infant cataract. Is this curable?
13 Answers
Yes, the cataract needs to be removed with surgery.
Yes. If needed the cataract can be removed.
Yes, it’s treatable and, in fact, it better to have the cataract removed when the child is still quite young. That allows the vision to develope normally and lessens the risk of developing a “lazy eye” (amblyopia).
Yes cataract surgery can be performed on infant and done successfully by ophthalmologist specialized in children’s cataract surgery
Yes and crucial to see a pediatric ophthalmologists ASAP
No, not curable, but sometimes can be successfully treated. You should take the baby to a Pediatric Ophthalmologist
Infantile cataracts are treatable. Most infantile cataracts are significant enough that they require surgery, unfortunately. Depending on the type and severity of the cataracts, your eye doctor will be able to council on the prognosis.
Congenital cataract needs surgery in the first few months of life, unless it's very small and does not affect the vision. Use of glasses or contacts after surgery is essential to prevent lazy eye.
Yes. You should see a pediatric ophthalmologist for consultation to determine whether cataract surgery is likely to be helpful in this infant’s situation.
Reagan Bradford
Reagan Bradford
Yes and please see a pediatric ophthalmologist for advice.
Congenital cataracts are treatable. If the cataract is visually significant, it should be removed. Visual development can be severely impaired without surgery. A pediatric ophthalmologist can help you determine the best course of treatment. Outcomes can vary depending on whether the child has a unilateral cataract vs bilateral cataracts. Small cataracts that are not visually significant can be closely watched. Early intervention is generally associated with better visual development outcomes.
This is a highly controversial area, but it is clear without surgery, the baby will develop severe amblyopia. I recommend an experienced surgeon/pediatric ophthalmologist. The main issue is the child is growing so it is very difficult to predict the IOL power AND the infant eye is very reactive, making secondary posterior pacification of the capsule very likely. This is a great challenge to the parents as well and at this age, silicon contact lenses are a reasonable solution if you have highly motivated parents.
Yes. Seek out a pediatric Ophthamologist.
