Unilateral electric cataract: Scheimpflug imaging and review of the literature

Abstract

A 22-year-old man presented with diminution of vision in the left eye 1 month after sustaining an injury from a high-voltage electric current to the left side of his head. Slitlamp examination and Scheimpflug imaging confirmed the typical anterior subcapsular lenticular opacities in the left eye and also documented early anterior subcapsular vacuoles in the right eye. Based on history, the electric shock wound, and the typical appearance of the opacities, an electric cataract was diagnosed. The difference in lens density between the 2 eyes was also documented. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in the right eye and counting fingers at 1 foot in the left eye. Phacoaspiration and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation were performed in the left eye. Postoperatively, the BCVA improved to 20/20. The developmental mechanisms of these opacities after exposure to an electric current and the role of Scheimpflug imaging in assessing the earliest subclinical manifestations of electric cataract injuries are discussed.