Cataracts in Kids

What are the symptoms of cataracts?

Cataract symptoms include:

• Cloudy or blurry vision
• Double vision
• Faded colors

For babies and children who cannot tell you what they see, parents should look for:

• A white pupil when a flashlight is shined into the eye
• White area on the eye

As a parent, you may or may not be able to see the cataract in your child's eye. Not all cataracts are large enough to be visible without medical tools.

What tests are used to diagnose cataracts?

When you visit the Department of Ophthalmology at Children's Hospital Colorado, a member of the care team will start by taking a full medical history. Then they will complete an eye exam, which may include:

• An eye chart test to measure your child's eye sight
• Dilating your child's eye with eye drops to examine the back of the eye
• Eye measurements for future use if needed
• An eye ultrasound

Once the exam is complete, the doctor will talk with you about the diagnosis of a cataract and possible treatment options.

How are pediatric cataracts treated?

Cataract treatment

Unfortunately, medications, exercises, eye drops and glasses don't prevent cataracts from forming or help get rid of them. Cataracts are treated by removing the cataract from the eye. It is recommended that babies who are born with cataracts have them removed early in life while vision and visual connections in the brain are developing.

Cataract surgery

An ophthalmologist performs cataract surgery by removing the lens from the eye. Once the natural lens is removed, the eye loses the ability to focus light and create clear images. There are three options to replace the natural lens:

• Intraocular lens implant: a permanent replacement of an artificial lens
• Contact lenses: good for children under 2 years old due to quick eye developments during this time in life
• Glasses: for children where contact lenses do not work as needed and an intraocular lens implant isn’t an option. Children may continue to wear glasses even if they use the implant or contact lenses.

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

Eye surgeons who specialize in pediatric care

Pediatric ophthalmologists at Children's Colorado are specially trained to work with kids and our teams work with babies, kids and teens all day, every day. And because early detection of disease is important for treatment, our ophthalmologists can diagnose babies when they are still in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. That makes us experts at providing the best pediatric eye care in the Rocky Mountain Region.

Kid-friendly setting

All the equipment at Children's Colorado is kid-sized – from our operating rooms to equipment for tests and treatments. If you stay the night, you'll notice that Children's Colorado is designed to promote healing for kids and families – from the art in the hallways to the picturesque views of the Colorado landscape.

Helpful resources

• The Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Family Association
• Department of Ophthalmology at Children's Colorado