A case report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, describes the unique story of a man with star-shaped cataracts.  The case follows a 42-year-old electrician who presents at an eye clinic with decreasing vision.  He had been suffering vision deterioration for four weeks, after he had suffered a 14,000 volt shock to his left shoulder.  The man could only perceive hand motions and had abnormal intraocular pressure.

Liberty Voice reports that the medical team found star-shaped cataracts in his eyes from the way the electrical shock damaged his optic nerve.  After physical trauma, it is not unusual to develop a shaped cataract.  The most common shape is a vague cloud-like cataract.  Common traumatic causes are usually a punch in the face, ball striking the face, or airbags and steering wheels hitting the face during a vehicular collision.

Four months later, the patient underwent cataract extraction and lens implantation, which was followed by improvement in vision with stronger vision in the right eye than the left.  Two years after the injury, a retinal detachment developed in the left eye, and the patient underwent repair.  At a 10-year follow-up visit, the patient could still see out of his right eye, though it had deteriorated some.  Out of his left eye, he could only count fingers.

There was bilateral optic atrophy with widespread macular pigment disruption.  The man was legally blind, but he was able to read with the use of low-vision aids and was able to independently commute on public transportation.  The researchers concluded that an electrical injury that only presents as a shape or opacity in the eye, cataract extraction is expected to produce a functional outcome. However, as was the case here, concurrent damage to the optic nerve and retina means that complete visual rehabilitation may be limited.

The National Eye Institute describes a cataract as a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.  A cataract may occur in one eye or both, but does not spread from eye to eye.  In addition to aging and trauma, cataracts can form as a secondary issue related to another health condition.  Additionally, cataracts can present as a congenital abnormality at birth or as a result of exposure to radiation.