Posters

Cataract induced by hypoparathyroidism: a case report

Poster Details

First Author: T.Bouzoubaa MOROCCO

Co Author(s):    B. Tamym   E. Abdallah   A. Berraho              

Abstract Details

Purpose:

We report a rare case of unilateral cataract secondary to acute hypocalcemia occurring in the course of thyroid surgery by iatrogenic injury to one of the parathyroid glands.

Setting:

Cataracts can be a complication of hypoparathyroidism, inducing hypocalcemia responsible of lens modification. This endocrine cataract can be unilateral or bilateral and both nuclear and/or cortical and/or subcapsular. Theevolution of cataracts is typically slow in idiopathic hypoparathyroidism and faster in acute hypoparathyroidism.

Methods:

A 40-year-old woman presented a gradual decrease in vision in the right eye. His medical history was marked by a total thyroidectomy 3 years ago for resection of a vesicular carcinoma associated intraoperatively with the surgical lesion of one of the parathyroid glands. Severe hypocalcemia occured in the immediate postoperative period. The patient was treated with large doses of calcium (8g / day) as well as calcitriol (0.50μgr / day) until her calcium levels normalized. She also has type 1 diabetes on insulin since the age of 15 and no specific eye history. It reports no notion of eye trauma.

Results:

Visual acuity without correction is 4/10 in the right eye and 10/10 weak in the left eye. Visual acuity corrected with the right eye is 7/10 for a refraction of −1.75 D of sphere with −0.25 D at 130 ° of cylinder. The intraocular tension is normal in both eyes. The examination with a slit lamp to the right eye shows a clear cornea, a normal anterior chamber and an opacification of the lens in the form of radial opacities at the level of the epinuclei as well as multiple central nuclear opacities. The dilated fundus is normal to both eyes.

Conclusions:

Given the young age of the patient and her good corrected visual acuity, the patient is adapted in corrective lenses. Surgery by phacoemulsification with placement of an intraocular implant will be considered depending on the evolution of the lens, vision and functional impairment of the patient. Over a 7-month follow-up, the lens opacities remained stable. The aim of this observation is to raise awareness of this etiology of cataracts, which is hypoparathyroidism, especially in a person without any notion of eye trauma with a history of thyroid surgery.

Financial Disclosure:

None