View clinical trials related to Congenital Cataract.
Filter by:Cataract (cloudiness of the lens) is the major cause of avoidable child blindness in the world and affects 1 in 3000 UK infants. Screening may fail to detect a cataract in an affected child (false-negative) or mistakenly suggest there is a cataract (false positive) triggering urgent unnecessary referral. Screening is currently undertaken using an ophthalmoscope into the eye to assess the reddish reflected light (red-reflex). This study aims to test if screening using a new hand-held digital imaging device (Neocam) is more accurate than the ophthalmoscope for newborn eye screening.
Patients with congenital cataract operated at St. Erik Eye Hospital are given the topical steroid dexamethasone (Isopto-Maxidex) according to a set treatment plan. They are provided a contact lens made of the polymer Filcon 4A that is frequently replaced due to the results of previous in vitro studies that have shown accumulation of preservatives in the hydrogel contact lens matrix which could question their use in combination with ophthalmic solutions. We conducted a pilot study that indicate that the results in vivo are different from the results in vitro and we suspect that insignificant amounts of dexamethasone and benzalkonium chloride are taken up by the lenses due to tear drainage. Contact lenses from 30 patients at St. Erik Hospital that have undergone surgery for congenital cataract and are treated with eye drops containing dexamethasone and benzalkonium chloride will be collected and analyzed. Ultraviolet-Visible spectrophotometer (UV-vis) and Laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) will be used to study uptake and release of dexamethasone and benzalkonium chloride. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) will be used to study surface morphology. Thirty Contact lenses from a control group without topical treatment will also be analyzed. Data will consist of contact lens material, wearing time, pharmaceutical agents, contact lens solution when applicable, diagnosis and possible co-morbidity.