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. 2020;61(1):105-112.
doi: 10.47162/RJME.61.1.11.

Congenital cataract - clinical and morphological aspects

Cătălina Ioana Tătaru  1 , Cătălin Petru Tătaru, Adrian Costache, Ovidiu Boruga, Mihail Zemba, Radu Constantin Ciuluvică, George Sima
Affiliations

Congenital cataract - clinical and morphological aspects

Cătălina Ioana Tătaru et al. Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2020.

Abstract

Congenital cataract is one of the main causes of blindness in newborns and children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 14 million children suffering from congenital cataract. Our study is based on 82 children, males - 46 (56.1%) and females - 36 (43.9%), with congenital cataract operated in the same ophthalmological centre in Bucharest, Romania. Of the 82 patients, 49 (59.76%) had bilateral cataract and 33 (40.24%) unilateral cataract. Clinically, the most frequent was the total cataract, followed by lamellar, nuclear and cerulean. We employed nine surgical approaches in our patients, depending on the type of intraocular lens (IOL). Morphologically, obvious changes were rendered evident at the level of anterior and posterior capsules, as well as subcapsular.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Intraoperative removal of anterior capsule
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of congenital cataract in the study group
Figure 3
Figure 3
Total cataract, opacifications are found in all crystallin layers
Figure 4
Figure 4
Lamellar cataract
Figure 5
Figure 5
Nuclear cataract
Figure 6
Figure 6
Anterior polar cataract and anterior lenticonus
Figure 7
Figure 7
Posterior polar cataract
Figure 8
Figure 8
Subluxation of the lens, associated with transparency disorders. Superior nasal zonular fibers are seen
Figure 9
Figure 9
Microscopic image of a normal area in the anterior capsule of the lens: thickness and evenness can be seen, and also the epithelial cells lining the posterior face. GS trichrome staining, ×400. GS: Goldner–Szekely
Figure 10
Figure 10
Anterior capsule: intensive reaction to PAS. PAS–H staining, ×400. PAS–H: Periodic Acid–Schiff–Hematoxylin
Figure 11
Figure 11
Anterior capsule zone and the significant thickening of the wall and the presence of stratified epithelium made up of polyhedral cells. PAS–H staining, ×400. PAS–H: Periodic Acid–Schiff–Hematoxylin
Figure 12
Figure 12
Image of the anterior capsule, unevenly thickened, undulated, non-homogeneous structure, lined with bistratified polyhedral epithelium. PAS–H staining, ×400. PAS–H: Periodic Acid–Schiff–Hematoxylin
Figure 13
Figure 13
Image of the anterior capsule, uneven thickened wall, lined with polyhedral multilayered epithelium. HE staining, ×400. HE: Hematoxylin–Eosin
Figure 14
Figure 14
Posterior capsule, undulated aspect. HE staining, ×200. HE: Hematoxylin–Eosin
Figure 15
Figure 15
Posterior capsule, zig-zagging aspect. PAS–H staining, ×400. PAS–H: Periodic Acid–Schiff–Hematoxylin
Figure 16
Figure 16
Posterior capsule, non-homogeneous thickness and structure. PAS–H staining, ×400. PAS–H: Periodic Acid–Schiff–Hematoxylin
Figure 17
Figure 17
Epithelial cells from the adult lens nucleus, uneven displacement. HE staining, ×200. HE: Hematoxylin–Eosin
Figure 18
Figure 18
Proteoglycans of non-homogeneous, disorderly distribution within the structure of the congenitally cataracted eye. PAS–H staining, ×400. PAS–H: Periodic Acid–Schiff–Hematoxylin
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