Bengaluru Doctors Restore Vision in Six-Week-Old with Congenital Cataract

Quick Summary

• A six-week-old boy in Bengaluru underwent surgery at Nethradhama Super Specialty Eye Hospital to treat a dense congenital cataract in one eye, one of the youngest cases of its kind.
• The infant was brought to the hospital at five weeks old with Leukocoria (white reflex) in his right eye.
• Doctors identified a dense fibrous plaque on the posterior capsule of the baby’s eye, which coudl lead to irreversible vision loss (amblyopia) if untreated.
• The surgery involved removing the fibrous plaque and ensuring a clear visual axis under paediatric anaesthesia. An intraocular lens will be implanted when the child is 6-8 months old, while intermittent patching is currently being used for vision stimulation.
• Ophthalmologist Dr Sri Ganesh emphasized that early diagnosis and treatment within 15 days to 3 months can improve outcomes substantially, warning that delays may result in blindness or impaired vision advancement. He advocated for mandatory postnatal eye screening and greater awareness among parents and doctors.

!Six-week-old with congenital cataract gets vision-saving surgery

Indian Opinion Analysis
This operation highlights significant advancements in pediatric ophthalmology and underscores how timely medical intervention can save lives from lifelong disabilities such as blindness or reduced visual capacity due to amblyopia. Raising awareness about congenital conditions like cataracts is essential for improving access to early screenings-a priority area emphasized by Dr ganesh’s appeal for newborn examinations nationwide. India must look toward incorporating systematic neonatal screening policies across health institutions, thus bridging both urban-rural gaps were early detection facilities might potentially be constrained. Programmatic emphasis on preventive healthcare measures can impact societal well-being profoundly by reducing avoidable disabilities.

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