Abstract:
Background: Radiation cataracts are an acknowledged biological effect of radiation
exposure. It has been demonstrated previously that, the mode value for the latent
period for the identified post-Chornobyl cases of radiation cataract was 9 years. We
present a case of radiation cataract with typical clinical features that manifested 29
years after radiation exposure.
Material and Methods: A female patient, born in 1937, worked in the exclusion zone
of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in early May of 1986; she is now under our
regular supervision. Because over years, the patient had had the annual routine eye
examination (including, but not limited to biomicroscopy, lens examination and red
reflex photography using a fundus camera), the time of onset of specific lens opacity
could be placed within a period of several months.
Results: On examination performed on December 15, 2014, the right lens showed
mild peripheral cortical opacity without signs of radiation cataract, and with
vacuoli seen in the anterior subcapsular lens region. On examination performed on
August 8, 2015, the right eye showed a mild, specific, posterior, central subcapsular
opacification.
Conclusion: We presented a case of radiation cataract, documented by fundus
camera photography, with typical clinical features that manifested 29 years after
radiation exposure. Detecting a radiation cataract so late after radiation exposure
indicates that the changes in the eye exposed to radiation can be very durable.
