With 6 Figures
Lens opacities are one of tlae cognate signs of Mongolism. The opacities begin to develop toward the latter part of the first decade of life, are slowly progressive and are generally described as being of the coronary or cerulean type (LowE, 1949, IGERSHEIMER, 1951).
Since the relation of the lens changes to mongolism was first established in 1910 by PEARCE, RANK~INE & ORMOND (1910) approximately twenty-five papers have been published on the subject but to our knowledge, none have included a pathologic description of the lens abnormalities. The purpose of the present paper is to report the pathologic changes in the lens of a mongolian idiot and in another mental defective who was not known to be mongoloid. These changes consist of a proliferation, segregation, and dropping-off of capsular material into the cortex of the lens. These pathologic changes accord well with the discrete and predominately spherical opacities ("coronary" or "cerulean" cataracts) seen clinically in mongolism, and suggest an underlying abiotrophy of the lens epithelium. They have not previously been described with any type of cataract.
Case studies
- M.B. Eight year old typical mongoloid inmate of one of the Massachusetts institutions for the feeble minded. The patient was known to have had lens opacities, but no detailed examination of his eyes or acuity had been made. He apparently was not incapacitated by poor vision. The patient died at the age of eight of virus pneumonia and the eyes were obtained at autopsy. * * We are indebted to Dr. CLEMENS E. BENDA (Wrentham State School) for obtaining the present specimen.