Question:
I was born with a cataract in my left eye and had an operation as a child to
remove it. My mother was told that the cataract had been removed and I can
remember having to wear an eye patch in my good eye to force my bad eye to
develop. My vision in my left eye didn't seem to improve, but I was always
under the impression that I didn't have a cataract. I recently changed
optician and one of the first things he noticed was that I still had a
cataract in my left eye. I have very little vision in my left eye, but I've
not noticed it get any worse over the years. I understand these things can
grow so I'm a bit worried now that I know that I still have one. I have a
few questions:
- Do congenital cataracts always grow?
- Do cataracts ever cause pain?
- Why would I have went through an operation without all the cataract being
removed?
- Is there any hope for my vision to improve in my left eye?
Answer:
There are two kinds of "cataracts". One is the natural lens of the
eye becoming cloudy. It sounds like your natural lens was cloudy at
birth. Modern removal of the natural lens leaves the capsular bag,
which is a membrane in which the natural lens rested. This capsular
bag can also become cloudy. This is often referred to as a secondary
cataract.
Cataracts do not "grow", but the cloudiness can and often does
progress.
If your cataract is a secondary cataract, (capsular opacification),
then it may be possible for a laser to create a hole in the cloudy bag
and provide vision improvement.
There are a number of causes of cataracts. Whether they develop or
not, or whether they grow, can be predicted in a statistical sense,
but there is no certainty about this regarding each individual
patient. It appears that, as you were born with a cataract, you indeed
have a pronounced tendency toward cataract development, even with
respect to your "good eye." I don't want to scare you.
