Pediatric cataracts--diagnosis and treatment.

This paper discusses the causes and treatment of congenital and acquired cataracts in children. Although congenital cataracts are relatively uncommon, they are one of the leading causes of serious visual impairment in neonates. Successful visual rehabilitation of these patients is predicted on prompt diagnosis and surgical and optical intervention. The issue of deprivation amblyopia and the critical period of visual development are integral to their effective treatment. Acquired cataracts are more common than congenital cataracts. They are usually easier to treat because vision developed before the formation of the cataract and deprivation amblyopia is not present. The treatment of pediatric cataracts is made more complicated than cataracts in adults because of the growth and development of the eye and the inevitable necessity of treating amblyopia.