Traumatic cataract

Traumatic cataract can occur when the natural lens is damaged by blunt trauma or penetrating eye injury.

With blunt force the eye will get shorter in the anterior- posterior length with expansion or widening in the eye ball. This will cause rupture or tearing in the anterior lens capsule with cataract formation.Sometimes with trauma there will be cataract formation with zonules rupture leading to lens dislocation.

With penetrating eye injury there will be direct damage to the lens capsule and the lens material which will lead to cataract formation. In this case the cataract will be either in the entire lens or just at the site of lens perforation causing focal cataract.

Retained intraocular foreign bodies can cause cataract either by direct damage to the lens with opacity formation or by continuous deposition of material.

siderosis bulbi which is deposition of iron material in many parts of the eye like cornea, iris, retina and lens which will cause cataract and retinal dysfunction

Chalcosis which is the deposition of copper in the eye with cataract formation and also can cause multiple ocular manifestations other than cataract.

Cataract can follow treatments of ocular trauma by using eye drops with corticosteroid component.

Treatment of this type of cataract is the same as treatments of other types of cataract but we have to make sure to treat other complications of trauma like eyelid laceration, corneal wounds and retinal injuries.