Black Cataract

A patient with no past ocular history presented with painless vision loss to HM in the left eye over last 6 weeks. The patient had poor, chronically declining visual acuity in that eye for years but did not have access to care. Slit lamp exam was notable for a dense, black cataract in the left eye. After ultrasound demonstrated no gross pathology, a decision was made to proceed with manual small incision cataract surgery given likely need for high levels of energy with phacoemulsification and higher risk surgery. The procedure was performed with no complications and on follow up patient had a BCVA of 20/100 OS. This case emphasizes the need for continued training in ECCE as though rare in the United States, these types of cataracts are still present.

Presentation Date: 09/08/2022

Issue Date: 09/23/2022