Pediatric Cataract Initiative

Thank you for supporting the Pediatric Cataract Initiative, sponsored by the Bausch + Lomb Early Vision Institute.

The Pediatric Cataract Initiative (www.PediatricCataract.org) will utilize the resources of both organizations to identify, fund and promote innovative methods of overcoming this issue for the long-term benefit of children, their families and their communities.

This debilitating childhood condition is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens. Causes include intrauterine infections such as pregnancy rubella, metabolic disorders and genetically transmitted syndromes.

During the first year, the Initiative’s primary focus will be on the People’s Republic of China, where at least 40,000 children are estimated to suffer from pediatric cataract. The prevalence of pediatric cataract ranges from one to four children per 10,000 births in developing countries – ten times the rate of occurrence in developed nations.