Dad’s alertness saves infant twins’ eyes from rare cataract damage
The babies had cataract in both their eyes due to a congenital condition that affects five out of 10,000 live births
Since the babies' eyeballs are tiny, they will have to wear special spectacles till they are five years old.
For the past two months, the Agraharis were a worried lot. Their twin boys - born in October last year - had been detected with congenital cataracts in both eyes sometime in December, a condition that affects five out of 10,000 live births and leads to visual impairment if not detected early.
In fact, it was Sunit Agrahari, their father, who spotted the tell-tale spots of white in their eyes that kept getting bigger with time. Soon, Agrahari had ascertained that the twins were not reacting to light. "We could feel that something was amiss," said Agrahari, aresident of Vidyavihar.
If possible, the doctors at Fortis Hospital where Agrahari took his sons, Mihir and Manav, for treatment were even more on tenterhooks. Two month-old infants meant cataract surgeries on four eyes, scaled down to micro levels. The doctors decided to operate on the babies one by one, with a two-week gap between each eye.
"The babies had cataract in both their eyes, and that too in the centre, which was obstructing light. Had it not been treated, they would have been visually impaired," said Dr Anand Subramanyam, a vitreo-retinal surgeon who operated on them along with ophthalmologist Dr Girija Suresh, at Fortis.
"To avoid infection, we did one eye at a time and gave a considerable gap before performing the next. The surgeries were high-risk as the patients were so tiny. Administering anesthesia was difficult, but operating on such a small area in the eye was even more challenging," he said, adding that bilateral cataracts in twins was rare as well.
Doctors made a pair of tiny holes in each eye and used a surgical instrument to cut and aspirate the cataract. Then, a specialised instrument was used to make the keyholes miniscule which helped to avoid use of sutures.
Generally, an intraocular lens is implanted in adults who undergo cataract surgeries but since the babies' eyeballs are tiny, doctors have given them special spectacles which they will have to wear till they are about five years old.
"The only difficulty is ensuring that the babies are constantly wearing their spectacles," said Agrahari, adding that the surgeries cost him Rs 90,000.
According to Dr Nagendra Shah, an eye specialist with Bombay Hospital, congenital cataracts are generally caused due to poor antenatal care, infection in mother during pregnancy, poor hygiene. "The root cause may be genetic or hereditary," said Shah.
What is congenital cataract?
Cataract is clouding of the lens in the eye, affecting vision, and a congenital cataract occurs at birth. Medical experts say that 5 in per 10,000 live births may suffer from congenital cataracts, but not all expand and lead to visual impairment.
For the past two months, the Agraharis were a worried lot. Their twin boys - born in October last year - had been detected with congenital cataracts in both eyes sometime in December, a condition that affects five out of 10,000 live births and leads to visual impairment if not detected early.
In fact, it was Sunit Agrahari, their father, who spotted the tell-tale spots of white in their eyes that kept getting bigger with time. Soon, Agrahari had ascertained that the twins were not reacting to light. "We could feel that something was amiss," said Agrahari, aresident of Vidyavihar.
If possible, the doctors at Fortis Hospital where Agrahari took his sons, Mihir and Manav, for treatment were even more on tenterhooks. Two month-old infants meant cataract surgeries on four eyes, scaled down to micro levels. The doctors decided to operate on the babies one by one, with a two-week gap between each eye.
"The babies had cataract in both their eyes, and that too in the centre, which was obstructing light. Had it not been treated, they would have been visually impaired," said Dr Anand Subramanyam, a vitreo-retinal surgeon who operated on them along with ophthalmologist Dr Girija Suresh, at Fortis.
"To avoid infection, we did one eye at a time and gave a considerable gap before performing the next. The surgeries were high-risk as the patients were so tiny. Administering anesthesia was difficult, but operating on such a small area in the eye was even more challenging," he said, adding that bilateral cataracts in twins was rare as well.
Doctors made a pair of tiny holes in each eye and used a surgical instrument to cut and aspirate the cataract. Then, a specialised instrument was used to make the keyholes miniscule which helped to avoid use of sutures.
Generally, an intraocular lens is implanted in adults who undergo cataract surgeries but since the babies' eyeballs are tiny, doctors have given them special spectacles which they will have to wear till they are about five years old.
"The only difficulty is ensuring that the babies are constantly wearing their spectacles," said Agrahari, adding that the surgeries cost him Rs 90,000.
According to Dr Nagendra Shah, an eye specialist with Bombay Hospital, congenital cataracts are generally caused due to poor antenatal care, infection in mother during pregnancy, poor hygiene. "The root cause may be genetic or hereditary," said Shah.
What is congenital cataract?
Cataract is clouding of the lens in the eye, affecting vision, and a congenital cataract occurs at birth. Medical experts say that 5 in per 10,000 live births may suffer from congenital cataracts, but not all expand and lead to visual impairment.
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