Definition of Congenital cataract:

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.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

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:

• Chondrodysplasia syndrome
• Congenital rubella
• Conradi syndrome
• Down syndrome (trisomy 21)
• Ectodermal dysplasia syndrome
• Familial congenital cataracts
• Galactosemia
• Hallerman-Streiff syndrome
• Lowe syndrome
• Marinesco-Sjogren syndrome
• Pierre-Robin syndrome
• Trisomy 13