Managing Pediatric Cataract Patients: Amblyopia Treatment and Binocularity Outcomes

ABSTRACT

Unilateral congenital cataracts present multiple barriers in the development of vision and stereoacuity despite the improved visual optics that early surgery, contact lenses and intraocular lenses (IOL) have provided. With better understanding of the latent period (the timeframe in which the abnormal event has no long-term effect on visual development in the deprived eye) and the critical periods (the age range during which developing brains can be altered in a profound and permanent way by abnormal experience) for stereoacuity and amblyopia we can focus our treatment methods to not only improve vision but also develop binocularity. Fifty years ago, it was believed that it was almost impossible for an eye with a unilateral congenital cataract to achieve good visual acuity. Twenty-five years ago, we believed that it was almost impossible for an eye with a unilateral cataract to achieve stereoacuity. It is time to expand our belief that the best that we can do with the eye in unilateral congenital cataract is to create a spare.

KEYWORDS:

• Congenital cataracts
• amblyopia
• stereoacuity
• progressive occlusion
• latent period
• critical period

Disclosure statement

In accordance with Taylor & Francis policy and my ethical obligation as a researcher, I am reporting that I have a financial relationship with iScreen Vision Inc. My Employment with this company does not affect the research reported in the enclosed paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Research to Prevent Blindness.