Congenital cataract signs can be detected at home

Congenital cataracts are lens abnormalities since a newborn baby. Congenital cataract signs can be identified by health workers and parents at home. Early detection can prevent blindness in children.

In 2017, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Nila Farid Moeloek, Sp.M (K) from the White Student Campaign revealed that every 60 seconds a child from all over the world is blind.

Although 80% of the causes of blindness in children can actually be prevented by examination and immediate action. There are 200,000 cases of cataracts in children throughout the world, which is 3 to 6 children per 10,000 live births.

Congenital cataract signs
Congenital cataract signs can be recognized by parents at home. These signs include:

Babies are visually insensitive to the environment, especially congenital cataracts that affect both eyes.
The student or the center of the eyeball must be gray-black or cloudy white.
The eye effect turns red or red in the photo disappears or differs between the left eye and right eye.
Fast eye movements.
Lazy eye or lazy eye This situation ensures that the child's eyes do not operate simultaneously or their eyes are closed or shaded.

When can someone identify the signs of congenital cataracts?

Congenital cataract signs can be detected soon after the baby is born. If not found at birth and only found in children under 16 years, this condition is called adolescent cataracts and not congenital cataracts.

In general, health workers who attend labor, such as doctors and midwives, will find this condition when helping a newborn baby or during a newborn's daily checkup.

Management of congenital cataracts

Usually, the management of congenital cataracts is carried out by a surgical method. Some research shows that if the surgery takes place at the age of 4 to 6 weeks.

Another study in the same year showed that surgery must be performed when the baby is older than six months to two years. Operations on these children tend to be safer and provide better results in the future.

The most important thing is to consult with your doctor to determine the right time to do the surgery. Consider all aspects for the child's sake.

When you reach this sentence, some children in the world have been blinded. Early detection is needed to reduce blindness, especially congenital cataracts.