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Congenital cataract

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Definition:

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 .

Alternative Names:

Cataract - congenital

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:

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

• Review Date: 9/1/2006
• Reviewed By: Manju Subramanian, MD, Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology, Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery, Boston University Eye Associates, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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