Developmental Cataracts

Analyses of surgical results have an excuse for being, since they substantiate or refute commonly accepted practices and frequently indicate the need for a more satisfactory approach to a given problem. This paper summarizes the results of surgical treatment in 131 cases of developmental cataracts at the ophthalmic clinic of University Hospital between the years 1925 and 1942. No case was included in this series unless the history indicated that the cataract was noted at birth or shortly thereafter by the parents or by the referring physician. For the most part, the surgical procedure utilized was discission, repeated as frequently as necessary to obtain a clear pupillary opening. Linear extraction was employed whenever indicated, that is ( a ) when the anterior chamber was filled with fluffy degenerating cortical material, ( b ) when there was secondary glaucoma, the result of a too rapidly swelling lens, or ( c ) when it was desirable to hasten