Cataract is an eye disease which causes blurred vision due to the clouding of the lens present in the eyes. Kids, look for symptoms such as difficulty in looking at things, blurred vision or in extreme cases complete loss of vision. A child may have a cataract in one eye or in both. Eyes are precious and when it comes to babies you can’t take any risk with their disrupt vision, so consult an Ophthalmologist as soon as possible.
Mommies! Read it out to know Cataract in kids’ causes symptoms and its treatment.
Causes
It can happen due to a number of ways but some of the most observed ones are mentioned below:
Congenital: It can be a birth defect in babies. Your baby can be born with this defect. It is called congenital as lens didn’t form during the pregnancy.
Hereditary: It can be genetically transferred to a baby if any of parents have already been suffering from cataract.
Chromosomal disorder: It can be caused by a chromosomal disorder such as Down syndrome.
Other possible causes include; Injury in eye, Diabetes, Steroids etc.
Symptoms
Most of its symptoms are not prominent especially when it comes to kids as they can’t put forward their problems in clear words. But some of the symptoms could be:
- White or Grey spot inside the pupil
- If seen closely reflection inside the pupil can be observed
- If you observe your child isn’t focusing properly get his/her eyesight checked
- Immediately visit an ophthalmologist if your child complains to see a double image
- If a child constantly complains about the light being too bright for him consult an eye specialist
- Keep a check on your child, if you see any misalignment in the eyes it could be a sign of a problem
Checkout: All You Need To Know About Stye (Swollen eyelid)
Treatment
Like many other eye diseases, it is treatable. However the more it is diagnosed earlier the more it is better for your kids’ vision. Surgery is the most effective and usually the only way to treat Cataract.
Surgeries are most of the time a successful procedure, where your child will get general anesthesia and once the surgery is being done your child must have to go for contact lenses or eyeglasses. It’s always better to consult an eye specialist for proper guidance.
