Is it normal for cataract to appear at the age of 5?

ralina451 · Newbie Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 2

Hello! My sister has a son who is five years old. She took him yesterday to regular eye control since he will start with the school and his doctor discovered a cataract of his left eye. How is this possible? He has never complained of reduced vision. I don’t think he inherited it since there is only our grandmother who had cataract (and had surgery) but I think her cataract was connected to her ageing. Is it normal for cataract to appear at the age of 5?

robinia · Newbie Joined: 19 Aug 2005 Posts: 3

Hello! No, it is not normal for cataract to appear at the age of five but it happens. Your sister hasn’t noticed his son’s eye problem since most children with cataract in only one eye usually have good vision in the other. They compensate their vision with another eye and usually don’t complain of reduced vision. It is also possible that children have partial cataracts that usually don’t need surgery but they are carefully monitored and treated if they get worse. Your sister has to talk with the eye doctor about the treatment options.

Is it normal for cataract to appear at the age of 5?

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