Question:medium
A child has a congenital cataract involving the visual axis which was detected by the parents right at birth. This child should be operated:
A child has a congenital cataract involving the visual axis which was detected by the parents right at birth. This child should be operated:
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Dense visual-axis congenital cataract risks deprivation amblyopia; operate as early as possible.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Immediately
- At 2 months of age
- At 1 year of age when the globe becomes normal sized
- After 4 years when entire ocular and orbital growth becomes normal
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The danger of a dense cataract sitting on the visual axis of a newborn is not the lens itself but the brain. With no clear image reaching the retina, the developing visual cortex never learns to see, producing deprivation amblyopia.
Step 2: The fixation reflex matures roughly between 2 and 4 months of life. To preserve sight, the obstruction must be removed before that period closes, and surgeons aim for the earliest feasible moment.
Step 3: Therefore a visual-axis cataract found at birth is operated immediately. Any plan to delay to 2 months, 1 year or 4 years lets amblyopia become fixed and the eye is then unlikely to recover useful vision, so those options are rejected.
Step 4: As a rule of thumb, bilateral dense cataracts are tackled by about 6 weeks and unilateral dense cataracts within days, each paired with vigorous amblyopia treatment. Early surgery is the guiding principle.
\[\boxed{\text{Immediately}}\]
Step 2: The fixation reflex matures roughly between 2 and 4 months of life. To preserve sight, the obstruction must be removed before that period closes, and surgeons aim for the earliest feasible moment.
Step 3: Therefore a visual-axis cataract found at birth is operated immediately. Any plan to delay to 2 months, 1 year or 4 years lets amblyopia become fixed and the eye is then unlikely to recover useful vision, so those options are rejected.
Step 4: As a rule of thumb, bilateral dense cataracts are tackled by about 6 weeks and unilateral dense cataracts within days, each paired with vigorous amblyopia treatment. Early surgery is the guiding principle.
\[\boxed{\text{Immediately}}\]
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