How are pediatric cataracts treated?
Unfortunately, medications, exercises, eye drops and glasses don't prevent cataracts from forming or help get rid of them. Cataracts are treated by removing the cataract from the eye. It is recommended that babies who are born with cataracts have them removed early in life while vision and visual connections in the brain are developing.
An ophthalmologist performs cataract surgery by removing the lens from the eye. Once the natural lens is removed, the eye loses the ability to focus light and create clear images. There are three options to replace the natural lens:
- Intraocular lens implant: a permanent replacement of an artificial lens
- Contact lenses: good for children under 2 years old due to quick eye developments during this time in life
- Glasses: for children where contact lenses do not work as needed and an intraocular lens implant isn’t an option. Children may continue to wear glasses even if they use the implant or contact lenses.
Why choose Children's Colorado for your child's cataracts?
Eye surgeons who specialize in pediatric care
Pediatric ophthalmologists at Children's Colorado are specially trained to work with kids and our teams work with babies, kids and teens all day, every day. And because early detection of disease is important for treatment, our ophthalmologists can diagnose babies when they are still in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. That makes us experts at providing the best pediatric eye care in the Rocky Mountain Region.
All the equipment at Children's Colorado is kid-sized – from our operating rooms to equipment for tests and treatments. If you stay the night, you'll notice that Children's Colorado is designed to promote healing for kids and families – from the art in the hallways to the picturesque views of the Colorado landscape.