The three-year-old boy often fell for no reason and was found to be suffering from "senile disease"

When it comes to cataracts

People's first reaction is

This is a disease that only old people get.

In fact, except for the elderly

Infants and children can also develop cataracts

1. What is congenital cataract?

Congenital cataract

Points out that it exists before and after birth

Or it is a congenital heredity that is gradually formed after birth.

or developmental cataracts

This is a common eye disease in children.

The second leading cause of blindness in children

The incidence rate is about 0.05%

Every year around the world

200,000 children blinded by cataracts

at present

Surgery is the only effective treatment for congenital cataracts

2. What kind of babies are prone to cataracts?

The mother has a history of illness and medication during pregnancy, a history of radiation exposure or trauma, a family history of congenital cataracts, and the baby has systemic or eye diseases after birth, which makes it easy to get cataracts. In addition, if there is a hereditary cataract in the family, the baby is also more likely to get cataracts.

Congenital cataracts have a huge impact on children's vision development. Since children are in the critical period of eye development, cataracts block the entry of external light, resulting in the eyes being unable to receive light stimulation and development stagnation. Therefore, children with congenital cataracts need to undergo surgery in time to remove the cloudy lens.

3. What are the symptoms of congenital cataracts?

1. Vision is seriously inconsistent with age

2. The eyes cannot move with objects and have no reaction to colored objects;

3. Uncoordinated eye movements, tilting the head and squinting when looking at things;

4. Symptoms such as small white spots can be seen in the center of the black eyeball;

In addition, patients with a family history of cataracts must go to a regular hospital for a systematic examination within 3 months after the child is born.

Young infants

Can't express

Coupled with early symptoms

Similar to myopia and amblyopia

Not easy to distinguish

Therefore, the rate of missed diagnosis of cataract in children is relatively high.

So, here comes the question

4. How to detect congenital cataracts early?

Method 1: Children over 2 months old already have the ability to fixate. Parents can move an object in front of the child and observe whether the child's eyes can follow the object and move accordingly. If so, it means that the child has the ability to fixate.

Method 2: When the child is watching TV, cover one of his eyes and let him watch with the other eye. If the child tilts his head or shows unhappiness, it means there is something wrong with that eye.

Method 3: Place some toys in front of the child, and children with good eyesight will grab them by themselves.

Method 4: Carefully observe the child’s activities, such as whether he runs very fast and whether he can quickly jump over obstacles in front of him.

5. When is the best time to get treatment?

If the surgery is performed too late, it will cause amblyopia; if the surgery is performed too early, there will be postoperative inflammatory reactions, and even secondary glaucoma, iris adhesion and other problems, and some may also be complicated by retinal detachment.

Generally speaking, experienced ophthalmologists will determine the best time for surgery based on the patient's vision, ability to respond to the external environment, and the morphology of congenital cataracts.

For children under three years old, if it is a unilateral congenital cataract, with a lens opacity located in the visual axis area and with a diameter greater than 3 mm, it is recommended to undergo surgery as soon as possible, about 4-6 weeks, and no later than 8 weeks. If it is a bilateral congenital cataract, it can be slightly delayed, about within 10 weeks. For children over 3 years old, whether to undergo surgery is determined based on visual function and vision, and whether the patient can meet the daily life and learning needs.

Warm reminder: For the treatment of congenital cataracts, the doctor's skills and experience are very important, and the timing of treatment is even more important, so parents must observe frequently in order to detect symptoms early and solve problems.