Cataract - congenital
A congenital cataract is clouding of the lens of the eye that is present at birth. The lens of the eye is normally a clear structure, which focuses light received by the eye onto the retina.
The number of people born with cataracts is low. In most patients, no specific cause can be found. Possible causes of congenital cataracts include the following:
Guercio JR, Martyn LJ. Congenital malformations of the eye and orbit. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2007 Feb;40(1):113-40, vii.
Olitsky SE, Hug D, and Smith LP. Abnormalities of the lens. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2007; chap 627.