Cataract News

Cataracts Findings for Young and Old

Recent findings from a study conducted in Georgia emphasize the importance of newborn eye exams to detect eye abnormalities. Researchers identified 199 infants with cataracts between 1968 and 1998. Nearly 40% of babies who have infantile cataracts aren't diagnosed with the condition until after they've passed the age (six weeks) when surgery to correct it is recommended.

Other new research shows that people who have Alzheimer's also show an accumulation of proteins in the lens of the eye, which results in a rare form of cataract. If these cataracts precede cognitive symptoms of the disease, then in the future, eyecare practitioners could use a new type of eye exam to diagnose patients at an earlier stage.