Post Congenital Cataract Maturity Questions

[MrsHudson221B]

Hello

I am in my mid forties. I have several congenital disabilities owing to rubella. When I was born the main disabilities found were deafness, cataract in one eye, hole in heart amongst other things.

Regarding  the congenital cataract, I noticed growing up that I began to see things  , to begin with it was like a very blurred black and white projector and I could make out a hand moving in front of my eye. As I got older I could see a flame flickering and the odd bit of colour.

During the late 1990s my congenital cataract matured and burst.  After an overnight stay I was released with eye drops and my cataract actually dissolved on it's own.

Ever since then I have noticed improvements in my sight. I am seeing much more colours, and at a distance. For example, I was at a cinema the other week, and as you would expect it is pitch black, my former cataract eye however was able to make out the green exit sign, though of course I cant read anything, just the colour. At work I am conscious of seeing people walk pass me or when someone drops paper onto the floor. Nothing in great detail. Just the movement and colour.

I have also noticed my perception of sense of depth has got worse since maturity. I find walking down the steps troublesome. Most embarrassingly it became noticeable on a recent holiday when I had difficulty walking up and down the steps of a bridge. I try to avoid walking down stairs if I can.

So my question is this. Is there anyway that sight can be restored in my eye based on the improvements I have described, will things continue to improve as I get older? Would a cornea transplant do the trick? Is it worth having a lens inserted into my eye?

I just feel that nobody has discussed things, even if the answer is no. And what can I do about the problems I am experiencing with the steps as I described?

Many thanks for reading.

[Timothy D McGarity, M.D.]

A contact lens trial would be fine, but an IOL, if it's a good option, may be better than a Contact Lens. First, it would correct the vision at the nodal point of the eye which is the best way to correct vision. Further, the IOL doesn't slip or rotate or move, again better.
Another thing to consider, is that congenital rubella can make cataract surgery or simple IOL implant a little more difficult. You should visit with an ophthalmologist for second opinion. I hope this helps. Everything else that anomolychick says sounds solid.
Best wishes,
Timothy D. McGarity, Medical Doctor, Ophthalmologist

[Anomalychick]

     Due to the congenital cataract your brain never learned how to use the eye. The standing theory for the last several decades has been that even if the eye was restored to perfect condition, you still wouldn't be able to see out of it. Recently there seems to be new research suggesting otherwise, that it may be possible to learn to see out of the eye. Even  if your brain could use the eye, your other problem is that the eye is aphakic. It is extremely farsighted. Maybe about 18 Diopters or so. Definitely worse than legally  blind.
      If your good eye is plano, than your eyes would be very very far apart in terms of refraction. This is called anisometropia. This can cause dizzyness and depth perception problems. This would further support the theory that your eye is working.  The first thing you need to do is go to an optometrist and have your bad eye refracted to see if vision is in any way correctable, which I suspect it may be. Then you'll need to find someone  who can order you an aphakic contact lens for that eye in your proper prescription. (Or someone who can measure your eye to determine what strength contact lens it would need.) I would then wear the contact 6 months, and  see if your vision improves.
      You could then use that to determine whether or not it would be worth it to get a lens implant. There is nothing an implant can do for the eye that a contact lens cannot. (Aside from being more comfortable and probably more practical for long term use.)