Cataract In Children - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Cataract in children

Cataract is a pathological condition of the organ of vision, accompanied by clouding of the lens. In childhood, the disease is more often associated with congenital factors. According to statistics, 5 out of 100 thousand newborns are diagnosed with cataracts. Older children are susceptible to the disease in 3-4 cases out of 10 thousand. The disease is progressive and can lead to blindness. Timely seeking medical attention provides the most favorable prognosis.

Content:

• Symptoms of cataracts in children
• Causes of cataracts in children
• Kinds
• Diagnosis of cataracts in children
• Cataract treatment in children

Symptoms of cataracts in children

The symptomatology of the disease consists of several factors: one or both eyes are affected, the degree of lens opacity, the location of the opacity focus.

It is difficult for parents to establish the symptoms of cataract in newborns, but this function is performed by doctors in the maternity hospital. Then the eyesight is checked in children at the age of 1 month during a routine examination.

In some cases, cataracts tend to manifest themselves later with the following symptoms:

• One or both pupils become gray or white;
• Eye movements become fast and uncontrollable;
• Visual acuity decreases, the child cannot focus his gaze on the object, active observation of the movements of the surrounding people decreases.

The first signs of cataract development are expressed by changes in the child's behavior: the baby cannot focus his gaze on toys, looks at them with only one eye, at an older age, children with cataracts have a reduced learning ability, it is difficult for them to concentrate. Parents should carefully consider the problem and consult an ophthalmologist.

These symptoms can signal not only cataracts, but other serious diseases as well. If at least one of them appears, a doctor's consultation is required.

Causes of cataracts in children

It is not always possible to establish the cause of cataracts in humans. Today in ophthalmology there are a number of causes of the disease:

• Hereditary factor. Genes transmit pathology from parent to child in every fifth cataract diagnosis.

• Previous infections during pregnancy.

  Congenital cataracts can be triggered by the following infections carried by the mother:

  1. Rubella;
  2. Toxoplasmosis;
  3. Cytomegolovirus;
  4. Chickenpox;
  5. Herpes.
• Premature babies.
• Mechanical damage. Cataracts in children can result from eye trauma or after surgery.
• Galactosemia associated with metabolic dysfunctions in the body. Pathology is manifested by disruptions in the production of the enzyme galactose.
• Toxocariasis is an infection of parasitic etiology that affects, among other things, the organs of vision. It is extremely rare and is transmitted from animals to humans through feces.

Detection of cataracts in children often occurs during routine examinations of a doctor, so they should not be neglected.

Kinds

In childhood, cataracts can be of two types:

• Congenital, diagnosed immediately after birth or within a short period of time after delivery;
• Acquired, detected a few months and even years after birth.

Congenital cataracts are difficult to prevent. A woman should carefully monitor her health during pregnancy, follow all the prescriptions of doctors regarding possible infections.

Diagnosis of cataracts in children

Congenital cataracts can be diagnosed within the walls of the maternity hospital. In other cases, this is the observation of parents and mandatory scheduled visits to specialists.

If you suspect a cataract, your doctor will prescribe special drops to dilate your pupil. Then a visual examination of the eyes is performed using medical equipment equipped with a magnifying glass and a lighting device. So the doctor will be able to assess the state of the organ of vision and see even the initial manifestations of cataracts.

Clouding of the lens and the absence of a red reflex from the fundus of the eye are the signs by which the doctor diagnoses a cataract in a child.

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Cataract treatment in children

If the cataract is located on the periphery of the eye and does not affect visual acuity, then there can be no indications for surgical removal. The disease is removed by surgery when the opacity is in the central part and vision deteriorates.

Cataract treatment in children is a three-step program:

• Survey. A complete examination of both eyes is required before surgery, even if only one is affected. In addition to cataracts, the organs of vision can have other pathologies that are not visually diagnosed. For this reason, it is important to assess all the risks that may be both during the operation and in the recovery stage.
• Directly operation. Surgical intervention in childhood is possible only with the use of general anesthesia. The specialist uses a microsurgical instrument to remove the cataract. In this way, it is possible to completely remove the pathology and almost completely exclude the recurrence of the disease. An inpatient stay after surgery is only necessary for infants under 3 months of age. Older children can return home on the day of surgery.

• Rehabilitation. As a rule, after the operation, the doctor prescribes special drops. During the recovery period, you should not rub your eyes and visit the pool. As prescribed by a specialist, the child can wear glasses or lenses that correct the visual perception of objects. During this period, it is important to regularly visit a doctor to assess the degree of rehabilitation and timely correction of possible deviations.

After surgery, the child may experience some redness and squint. If these manifestations are detected, an urgent visit to a doctor is necessary to exclude infection and weakening of the eye muscles.

Cataract is a serious ophthalmic pathology that requires constant monitoring and treatment. The disease is more common in adulthood and old age, but children are also prone to cataracts. To exclude the onset and development of pathology, routine examinations and an attentive attitude to any changes in the child's behavior are required.

The author of the article: Degtyareva Marina Vitalievna, ophthalmologist, ophthalmologist