Rachel’s Story
(child, bilateral cataract) My daughter Rachel was born in 2006. I have a family history of congenital cataracts, so her eyes were examined on the post-natal ward soon after she …
Robert’s Story
I was born with cataracts in both eyes in the early 1940s; my father and three other relatives also were born with cataract. However it hasn’t held me back very …
Famous people with childhood cataracts
Bilateral cataracts: William Styron (1925-2006), US, Writer William Styron was most well-known for his novels: Confessions of Nat Turner (1967) about slavery in the southern United States, Sophie’s Choice (1979) …
Parenting & Education Books
The book Making it Work; educating the blind/ visually impaired student in the regular school by Carol Castellano is from the US, it’s very good on the practical adaptations that …
Registering your child as blind or partially sighted
Being registered doesn’t mean anything about how your child’s vision will do in the long run; it doesn’t mean that they will lose more vision. Just to confuse, there is …
Coping with photophobia
What is photophobia? Photophobia literally translates as ‘fear of light’, which isn’t a very good description. Alternatively the term photoaversion is used. This is avoidance of bright light for the …
Patching, or Occlusion Therapy
Patching, or ‘Occlusion Therapy’, is prescribed for cases where there is a difference in acuity between the patient’s two eyes, in other words the patient can see better with one …
Nance Horan (cataract dental) Syndrome
What is Nance-Horan Syndrome (NHS)? Nance Horan syndrome is a rare cause of cataracts in children – most children with cataracts do not have Nance Horan syndrome but there are …
The IOL debate
Should my child have a lens implant (IOL) at the time of cataract surgery? Different ophthalmologists have different points of view on whether to use IOLs in babies and young …
How the eye works
The outside of the eye The white of the eye, round the whole eyeball is called the sclera, meaning ‘hard’ because it’s tough like the outside of a football. Over …