Cataracts that occur in newborns are called congenital cataracts, which are partial or complete clouding of the lens that occurs at birth. The incidence of congenital cataracts can be 2-4/1000, and since infants are developing their vision, congenital cataracts can seriously affect vision development and are more dangerous than age-related cataracts. If surgery is not performed early, severe amblyopia will result. Once the best time for surgery is missed, even if surgery is performed, it is difficult to recover the vision. Therefore, once parents find that their child has a white pupil in the center of the black eye and that the child’s vision is poor, they need to see an ophthalmologist to rule out congenital cataracts.
Most congenital cataracts require surgical treatment. For those whose vision has been affected and the development of visual function has been hindered, surgery should be performed as early as possible. If it takes too long, it will result in irreversible disuse amblyopia and a lifelong failure to obtain good vision. Surgery is usually performed within 4-5 months of birth, and no later than 2 years of age, and IOL implantation is performed at 2-3 years of age. Even if the surgery is successful, if you do not follow up with your doctor after the surgery, you may still end up with poor results. If the posterior capsule is not treated during surgery for children with congenital cataracts, the chance of developing posterior cataracts is 100%.
The success of the surgery depends not only on the surgery itself, but also on the postoperative treatment!