Clouding of the cornea

The clouding of the cornea during childhood prevents vision and can, like cataract, lead to the clouding of the cornea in front of the iris, in contrast to the cataract where the blur is on the lens and at the back of the iris. However, both conditions have the same consequences for the child’s vision.

The most common cause of corneal clouding in the child is glaucoma. Other causes include various metabolic diseases (which are often hereditary and affect other organs of the body apart from the eye), some infections and injuries.

The treatment involves addressing the cause of the blur. If a large area is cloudy, it may require removing the affected cornea and replacing it with an implant.

Although such interventions are difficult to carry out on young children, it may be their only hope to retain some useful vision.