EXPLORING CHRISTMAS TREE CATARACTS: A CASE STUDY AND COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF UNDERLYING FACTORS

Discussing the potential underlying conditions and connections between cataract formation, cholesterol crystals, and myotonic dystrophy. It emphasizes the importance of detecting Christmas tree cataracts as they could be the first sign of myotonic dystrophy type 1 disease, highlighting the need for a referral for neuromuscular assessment in such cases.

Mohammed V university , Ophtalmology B , CHU IBN SINA RABAT -MOROCCO-

Sutural cataracts are not very common on our regular practice. In this presentation, we report the case of a 40-year-old male with a bilateral christmas tree and sutural cataract. We were concerned about the presence of an underlying condition such as myotonia, which can have similar eye manifestations.

There are several theories to describe the formation of a cataract, it’s been admitted that the cataract is made of cholesterol crystals and is the result of lens metabolism. It’s interesting to look at the connection between calcium levels and cataract formation, as it could be plausible to say that any medical disease-causing hypercalcemia can increase the risk of developing a Christmas Tree Cataract. This type of cataract is also related to myotonic dystrophy which is found in about 16% of cataract cases. The detection of a cataract should necessitate a referral for neuromuscular assessment.

The striking appearance of a Christmas tree cataract can surprise an ophthalmologist, mostly when picked up on routine eye examination. Beyond the level of fascination, the discovery of a cataract could also be the first sign of the myotonic dystrophy type 1 disease.