Traumatic Cataract Treatment

Cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye that affects vision, are usually age-related, but can also have other causes. Traumatic cataracts are cataracts caused by injury to the eye. The cataract may not manifest until years after the injury. Although traumatic cataracts are usually caused by penetration or a blunt force injury, in rare cases infrared energy, electric shock or ionizing radiation can be the cause.

As with other types of cataracts, traumatic cataracts can only be cured by surgery. Whether or not surgery should be immediately performed depends on factors like the type of injury received, the age of the patient and the progress of the cataract.

Considerations

• With surgery as the only solution to cataracts, most people think that diagnosis means that surgery is immediate and inevitable. However, there are many factors for patients and physicians to consider.

  If the cataract causes changes such as glaucoma, doctors may advise immediate removal. Otherwise there is no need to remove the cataract until the patient's vision is so impaired that they feel unsafe or impeded in their daily life. Even if you are diagnosed with a cataract, the cataract may remain small and never affect your vision.

  In an article in the November/December 2009 issue of "Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today (Europe)," Simonetti Morselli, MD, recommend waiting on surgery in cases where a young patient has experienced close blunt trauma. In this case the cataract may not ultimately impair vision.

Symptoms

• Even after you have been diagnosed with a cataract (perhaps during a routine eye exam), symptoms may not appear for years. You will normally be the first to notice changes in your vision that may ultimately necessitate surgery.

Visibility

• Traumatic cataracts also present specific challenges for eye-care professionals. The cataract creates visibility issues, such as blocking the physician's view of the retina, that impede treatment. In such cases, removal of the cataract enables the physician to further evaluate the injured eye and make decisions about treatment.

Additional Damage

• Injuries to the eye often involve complicating factors, such as iris and pupil damage, astigmatism or optic nerve damage, in addition to cataract development. The additional vision problems will affect the surgical approach your physician takes.

Solution

• The most commonly used modern form of cataract surgery, phacoemulsification, takes only about 30 minutes, requires minimal sedation and leaves no stitches close to the wound. Complications after surgery are rare and most people experience improved distance vision within a few weeks.

  The best course of treatment for your traumatic cataract will be determined by your eye-care physician together with you.