Contents:
- Medical Video: Yes, babies and children get cataracts too: Diagnosis and treatment of pediatric cataracts
- Cataracts in babies are usually congenital
- So, can cataracts in infants be prevented?
Medical Video: Yes, babies and children get cataracts too: Diagnosis and treatment of pediatric cataracts
Cataract eyes characterized by the whitening of the lens of the eye due to aging are indeed common in the elderly (elderly). Usually people who experience cataracts will see a white file like a cloud covering the lens of their eyes. Of course, this can reduce a person's ability to see. Although generally in the elderly, but did you know that cataracts can occur in children, even newborns? So can cataracts in infants be prevented?
Cataracts in babies are usually congenital
Cloudy eyes that occur in infants, usually already in existence since the baby is born, are called congenital cataracts or congenital cataracts. In a normal baby's eye, when light enters the lens, the eye will make the right shadow, just like the original and this is what the eye sees.
However, cataracts in infants make the incoming light imperfect due to cloudy lenses. This makes the light spread and the image that the eye receives becomes blurry. Usually, cataracts in infants are known from the color of the lens they have, if there are grayish spots on the lens, then they experience congenital cataracts.
In addition, the sign of a baby with cataracts can also be seen from his behavior. If he is not sensitive to the surrounding environment, for example, do not look when someone is next to him or when called, can the child experience this problem.
About 50% of cases of congenital cataracts occur due to mutations (changes) in the baby's genes when they develop in the womb. This can be caused by health problems that occur during pregnancy. Meanwhile, a total of 23% were caused by descent from parents. In addition to these causes, in other cases the cataract in infants is not known to be the exact cause.
So, can cataracts in infants be prevented?
Cataracts in new babies can be seen and diagnosed after labor. Before birth, there is no way to detect this problem in the eyes of the fetus. However, you can take precautions against infectious diseases or other health problems during pregnancy.
Because, cataracts in infants are also known to occur due to complications that occur during pregnancy. Complications of pregnancy that can cause this such as rubella, chickenpox, herpes simplex, herpes zoster, influenza, infectious diseases poliomyelitis, Epstein-Barr virus, syphilis, and toxoplasmosis.
All infectious diseases, caused by viruses that can cause fetal development disorders. To prevent infection with the virus, you can make immunizations before and during pregnancy. There are several types of immunizations that are better done before entering pregnancy, this is effective enough to prevent virus attacks.
To find out more about the immunizations of pregnant women to get, you can consult an obstetrician.
Meanwhile, if you have a family history of congenital cataracts, then before planning a pregnancy, consult your doctor. The problem is this congenital cataract can be passed on to your baby later.
