What kind of children will get congenital cataracts?

Many people know about the eye disease "cataracts" because they know elderly people suffering from senile cataracts. In fact, cataracts are not "exclusive" to the elderly. Some newborn babies can also get cataracts - congenital cataracts.

Congenital cataract refers to lens opacity that occurs at birth or within 1 year after birth due to congenital heredity and various developmental disorders, such as rubella virus infection, which affects the development of the lens.

The prevalence of congenital cataracts in newborns is about 0.5‰. Although it is not a common eye disease in children, it is an important cause of blindness and amblyopia in children.

What are the characteristics of children with congenital cataracts?

Genetic factors: The most common one is autosomal dominant inheritance, which is caused by problems with the genes themselves, such as Down syndrome, Marfan syndrome, etc., which can lead to the occurrence of congenital cataracts.

Maternal viral infection: Intrauterine viral infection in the first three months of pregnancy, such as rubella, measles, herpes virus infection, chickenpox and influenza virus, can cause fetal lens opacity. Therefore, mothers must take preventive measures in the early stages of pregnancy to reduce the chance of viral infection.

Taking drugs or radiation: pregnant women use some drugs in the early stages of pregnancy, such as glucocorticoids, sulfonamides, etc., or are exposed to X-rays;

The mother has other diseases: If the mother suffers from diabetes, hypothyroidism, malnutrition, etc. during pregnancy, it may lead to the occurrence of congenital cataracts.

When should congenital cataract surgery be performed?

In principle, the sooner the better.

The younger the age of treatment for congenital cataracts, the better the prognosis. The visual function of eyes implanted with artificial lenses early on recovers better than that of eyes that simply wear glasses.

It is recommended that all newborns have an eye examination.

Surgical intervention within 6 weeks of birth can reduce the visual loss caused by binocular congenital cataracts in the visual development system and provide better visual function reconstruction.

Since congenital cataracts can affect visual function, after cataract surgery and lens implantation, visual training must be performed to improve visual function and prevent children from developing amblyopia.

Dr. Zhou Li, associate chief physician, deputy leader of the Cataract Group of Aier Eye Hospital Group in Hubei Province, and deputy director of the Cataract and Presbyopia Department of Aier Eye Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University (Aier Eye Hospital Group Hubei General Hospital), reminds: Young children may not be able to cooperate perfectly, and parents need to provide certain supervision and assistance at this time. For the development of children's vision, please follow the doctor's advice and follow the training plan designed by the doctor for your child.