Clinical features in children up to the age 5 - 6

In the first five years of life any process such as cataract or corneal scar preventing the formation of a sharp image on the retina will retard or prevent maturation of vision.

Major problems seen in children are:

• leukocoria – the pupil appears white or may have cloudy spots (but the eye may look normal if the cataract is located at the back of the lens) (1)
• amblyopia
• loss of binocular function - failure to stimulate the binocular cells of the visual cortex
• squint, which is a consequence of the loss of binocular function. In most individuals there is some muscle imbalance, resulting in one eye drifting to take up the most comfortable position if there is no stimulus to fusion. In most children the squint is convergent
• sensitivity to light

Reference:

1. Allen D, Vasavada A. Cataract and surgery for cataract. BMJ. 2006 Jul 15;333(7559):128-32.

• (1) Childhood Cataract Network 2008. Beginners guide