Retinal Detachments Occurring in Cataract Associated With Neurodermatitis

HISTORICAL REVIEW THE FIRST reported instance of cataract associated with a dermatological condition dates back to 1868, when Rothmund1first described the cases of 16 patients in three much intermarried families who had cataract and poikiloderma, both on a heredofamilial basis. In 1904 Werner2reported three cases of heredofamilial type of progeria associated with cataract and scleroderma. Soon after this reports of many other cases began to appear in which similar skin lesions associated with cataract were found.3In these cases the most commonly encountered dermatological concomitant was scleroderma. In 1914 Andogsky4reported the first four cases of a dry, scaly, crusting skin lesion associated with cataract. He referred to the skin lesion, originally described by Vidal,5aand later by Besnier,5bas neurodermatitis and observed that the cataracts in these cases, once launched, came to extremely rapid maturation. In ail the cases which he