Cataracts in Kids

What are the signs and symptoms of cataracts?

Cataract symptoms include:

• Cloudy or blurry vision
• Double vision
• Faded color
• Changes or declines in a child’s visual behavior (holding things closer than before, running into things, etc.)

For babies and children who can’t tell you what they see, parents should look for a white pupil when a light is shined into the eye; sometimes this is also visible in a flash photograph.  Your pediatrician will also look for this during routine checkups.

It’s not always possible to see the cataract in your child's eye, if they have it. Not all cataracts are large enough to see without medical tools.

How do we diagnose cataracts?

We start by reviewing your child’s full medical history. One of our eye specialists will then complete a physical exam and comprehensive eye exam, which may include:

• Assessing your child’s vision using an eye chart or other methods depending on their age
• Dilating your child's eye with eye drops to examine the back of the eye and assess the cataract
• Eye measurements for future use, if needed
• An eye ultrasound

Based on the results, your child’s doctor will talk to you about the diagnosis and possible treatment options specific to your child’s unique condition.

How do we treat pediatric cataracts?

Cataracts typically require surgery or are not serious enough to need treatment.

Cataract treatment

Some cataracts are very small or not in a part of the lens used for vision and only need monitoring if your child has good vision. These cataracts don’t require surgery. Unfortunately, medications, exercises, eye drops and glasses don't prevent cataracts from forming or help get rid of them. We treat many cataracts by removing them from the eye with surgery. We recommend that babies who are born with cataracts have them removed early in life to promote healthy visual development.

Cataract surgery

One of our ophthalmologists will perform cataract surgery by removing the cataract from the eye. Children need a lens in their eye to focus images, so we will need to replace the lens’ focusing power either during surgery with an artificial lens or after surgery with contacts or glasses. Many factors go into the decision regarding which type of lens would be the best for your child, including their age and type of cataract. We have three options to replace the natural lens:

• Intraocular lens implants: This method places a permanent artificial lens into the eye during surgery.
• Contact lenses: These are good for children who are too young for an artificial lens (less than one year old), or who have other contributing eye conditions (such as an eye injury), which mean an implanted lens isn’t the best option for them.
• Glasses: This is the best option for children who can’t tolerate a contact lens and aren’t a candidate for a lens implant. If glasses replace the lens’ focusing power, they can be quite thick and make things look large, so we try to use contacts or an implantable lens when possible. Almost all children need some type of glasses prescription after cataract surgery, like a bifocal, to help them focus images after cataract surgery.

Why choose Children's Colorado for your child's cataracts treatment?

The pediatric ophthalmology team at Children's Colorado is specially trained to work with children, from infants to adolescents. Our specialists understand that treating cataracts in kids is much different than adults and they make it as comfortable for them as possible.

Our research supports our goals to detect eye conditions early. Our ophthalmologists can even diagnose babies when they are still in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Having the ability to make early diagnoses is just one of the reasons we’re able to provide the best pediatric eye care in the Rocky Mountain region.

In addition to early diagnosis, we specialize in treating kids, which means all our equipment is specially designed for children and our specialists are pediatric-trained. We’ve adapted our diagnostic techniques to help us better examine children. Having experience working with kids helps a lot during eye exams and vision evaluations. And the best treatment starts by getting the most accurate diagnosis. At Children's Colorado, your child will receive the best eye care specifically designed for kids, from the moment they walk in the door to testing, diagnosis and surgery, if needed.