TRAUMATIC CATARACT

Course overview

THE FORMATION OF TRAUMATIC CATARACTS IS COMMON AFTER BLUNT OR PENETRATING OCULAR TRAUMA. UP TO 65% OF EYE TRAUMAS LEAD TO CATARACT FORMATION, RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT SHORT- AND LONG-TERM VISION LOSS. MOST CASES OF OCULAR TRAUMA RESULT IN SOME DEGREE OF LENTICULAR SWELLING. THE SEVERITY OF THE TRAUMA AND THE INTEGRITY OF THE CAPSULAR BAG DETERMINE THE TYPE OF CATARACT DEVELOPED AND THE CLINICAL COURSE. TRAUMATIC CATARACTS MAY OCCUR ACUTELY OR DEVELOP SLOWLY OVER TIME, AS IN THE CASE OF A CONCUSSION CATARACT.SURGERY FOR TRAUMATIC CATARACTS IS OFTEN MORE COMPLEX THAN STANDARD AGE-RELATED CATARACTS DUE TO ASSOCIATED DAMAGE TO THE LENS CAPSULE AND ZONULES, SYNECHIAE, AND REDUCED MEDIA CLARITY. A THOROUGH PREOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING ARE CRUCIAL TO ACHIEVE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES AND OPTIMAL VISION.[THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGY, EVALUATION, MANAGEMENT, PROCEDURAL TECHNIQUES, COMPLICATIONS, DETERRENCE, AND AGE-RELATED SPECIFICS OF TRAUMATIC CATARACTS WHILE HIGHLIGHTING THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS AFTER OCULAR TRAUMA.