A Christmas tree cataract

Fadoua Zahir, Hicham Tahri

PAMJ. 2014; 18:332. Published 25 Aug 2014 | doi:10.11604/pamj.2014.18.332.4780

A 70-year-old man referred for cataract surgery, had on examination a palette of colored needle-shaped opacities in the cortex and anterior nucleus of the lens, consistent with unilateral Christmas tree cataract. This type of cataract result from the accelerated breakdown of membrane associated proteins. The peptides and amino-acids accumulate in the lumen of the reticular meshwork, and cystine is concentrated beyond the level of crystallization, giving rise to growing crystals.
Corresponding author
Fadoua Zahir, Ophthalmology Service, CHU Hassan II, Fez, Morocco (fadouazahir@hotmail.fr)


The Pan African Medical Journal (ISSN: 1937-8688) is a subsidiary of the Pan African Medical Journal. The contents of this journal is intended exclusively for professionals in the medical, paramedical and public health and other health sectors.

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