Question:
Does any one know if there is any research about Congenital
Cataracts, it's cause, any thing that can be done other
than the severe eye sergery done years ago? Any recent
research that has been done in the last ten years?
Does it seem to run in families like mine? Do males get it
as well? Is anyone ever totally blind from it?
Answer:
I have Congenital Cataracts. The word congenital does not mean genetic, it
means "from birth". The condition does affect boys as well as girls, I
should know I'm a man!
As to treatment, I had needling operations when I was a baby in the 1960's.
These days I think they can replace the lens entirely, thus giving far
better vision than I got. But when I discussed this with an Opthalmologist
at Southampton General Hospital in England about 2 years ago, he said that
this wasn't advisable in my case because there were potential problems later
on with the surgery. I am told it is better to do the surgery ASAP after
the diagnosis in babies, as the sooner the child can see, the more vision
he or she will be able to use. If surgery is done later, the brain, won't
be able to learn to use the extra vision brought about by the op.
I think that research has come along a pace since I had my operations (11),
and I think it will continue. I don't know about this, but in other areas
of transplant surgery, scientists are talking about growing organs in situ.
The only example of this sort of thing at the moment is someone needing a
cosmetic ear, having one grown outside the body, over a mould. But this is
a long way from being used on patients, and it doesn't involve eyes.
