Cataracts in children

Kenneth Wright, MD Pediatric Ophthalmologist, shares advice for parents on how to tell if your child has cataracts, and the negative impacts they can have if not treated
Cataracts In Children
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Cataracts in children

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Children can get cataracts, and often that's a surprise to parents. We think of cataracts as an older patient's disease. Cataract is when the natural lens, which is important for focusing the image on the retina giving us clear vision, when that lens instead of being crystal clear is opaque. So a light can't go through and you get a blurred image on the retina and you don't see. So yes, children get cataracts and they can even have cataracts at birth, that's called a congenital cataract. And the problem with cataracts in children is that a blurred image in a child where their brain's developing, the blurred image can actually damage visual areas in the brain. If the brain has bad input, the brain doesn't develop high resolution. So in a child, especially an infant, a cataract is an opthalmic emergency.

Kenneth Wright, MD Pediatric Ophthalmologist, shares advice for parents on how to tell if your child has cataracts, and the negative impacts they can have if not treated

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Kenneth Wright, MD

Pediatric Ophthalmologist

A caring physician, Dr. Kenneth Wright is devoted to the health of children’s eyes. He is an internationally respected pediatric ophthalmologist, and is included in “The Best Doctors in America” and “Who’s Who in Medicine and Health Care.”  Dr. Wright is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Keck School of Medicine.  He has developed novel surgical techniques for pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.  Dr. Wright received his medical degree from Boston University and fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus at Johns-Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, and Children’s Hospital, Washington, DC.  Following his fellowships, he then accepted a full-time faculty member position at USC School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles where he served for 10 years.  He was later appointed Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, before returning home to Los Angeles to establish a pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus center of excellence.  

Dr. Wright has authored of over 100 published scientific papers, seven textbooks including his renowned textbook, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and has lectured worldwide.  He founded the non-profit Wright Foundation with a mission to reduce blindness and suffering in children with eye disorders through research, education, and clinical care. He has established a pediatric eye clinic for underprivileged children.  Important to the Wright Center is the principle that patient care always comes first.  

An interesting personal note is that Dr. Wright’s youngest son developed crossed eyes as an infant requiring surgery and Dr. Wright operated on his own son.  The outcome was excellent and years later his son served in the United States Marine Corps as a top marksman.

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