Infant Cataracts: The Journey of Carter Moll

November 2, 2009 by Cathy Ribble
Filed under: News

Seven-month-old Carter Moll was diagnosed with infant cataracts after his attentive mom reported concerns to her pediatrician.

Carter’s routine well-baby exams showed normal vision development for an infant his age. At seven months, Susannah Moll, of Madison, Wisconsin, noticed that her son liked to be held close to his parent’s cheeks. Her baby like running both of his hands down their faces and feeling their warm breath.

Susannah then began to notice that Carter’s left eye was turning inward. A visit to his pediatrician, and they were on their way to an ophthalmologist. The family soon learned that Carter had cataracts in both eyes.

“They were very subtle so [the doctor] didn’t see it was that big of a problem,” Susannah commented. “He said surgery needed to be done, but I didn’t know how soon.”

Many older adults develop cataracts, but it is not seen as often in babies and young children. When cataracts are present, there is a clouding in the lenses of the eyes.

Within a few weeks of that diagnosis, the family began to see white clouds spotting Carter’s left pupil. The right eye also developed the white spots.

Carter underwent two cataract eye surgeries within a month of his initial diagnosis of the condition.

“The thing that’s special about Carter is how rapidly his vision deteriorated,” said Dr. Michael Struck, Carter’s ophthalmologist at the University of Wisconsin. “The only thing he could tell was whether it was day or night; he couldn’t see anything else.”

Cataracts affect three out of 10,000 infants under the age of one year. Dr. Struck noted that for many of those parents, the first sign is when they notice the child’s eyes are not aligned in a photograph. They fail to notice the problem face-to-face. The misalignment often occurs before the cloudy white spots develop over the pupils.

“When Carter first came in at seven months, he had signs of cataracts that only a doctor could see,” Struck said. “By the time you are able to see the white cloud, it’s an emergency.”

Although he is now able to focus on nearby objects with his new lens implants, Susannah said Carter is considered legally blind for his distance vision and wears glasses to help him see objects that are far away.

Susannah happily reports that her son’s vision has improved as quickly as it deteriorated. Carter will still need to have frequent eye-care appointments for follow-up as doctors try to determine the cause of the cataracts. He will also be monitored for other possible vision problems, including glaucoma. Glaucoma is seen in up to 40 percent of children after cataract surgery.