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Home › Articles › Newborn and Infant Months › Congenital Cataracts

Congenital Cataracts

Treatment Options for Newborns

By Kelly Burgess

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

At some point, to strengthen the weak eye, the child will need to wear a patch over the stronger eye. This is the so-called "lazy eye" effect of the cataracts. With early diagnosis and aggressive treatment, vision is retained and, as is the case with Rhiannon Harvey, can end up being quite good.

Sometimes, if the cataract doesn't seem to be interfering with vision, it will be left in until the child is older. This was the case with Shannon Purcell's daughter, Morgan, who was diagnosed with a unilateral cataract when she was a newborn but didn't have surgery until age 5.

"Before surgery, Morgan's eyesight was approximately 20/60 to 20/80 in the left eye," says Purcell of Falmouth, Ky. "Now, since she has had the cataract removed and an intraocular lens implant, her vision is about 20/60. On a couple of visits, her vision has been 20/50. She tells me that she can see 'better' and it's not as 'blurry,' but she is still young. At such a young age, it's hard to determine an accurate reading. My hope is that her eyesight will continue to strengthen and improve as she grows older."

<>It was Purcell who first noticed Morgan's cataract and brought it to the attention of her pediatrician. Dr. Deborah VanderVeen, a staff ophthalmologist at Children's Hospital Boston and instructor at Harvard Medical School, says it's important for parents to pay attention to their children's eyes, as some cataracts can be developmental or can be so small that they're not diagnosed immediately.


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