Christmas Tree Appearance Cataract

When the doctor s light hits the cataract a sparkling display of colors including red pink green blue and gold are visible reminiscent of tinsel on the christmas tree reflecting the colored lights.

Christmas tree appearance cataract. The aim of this controlled study was to give an answer to the question whether cholesterol level in blood is as important for local cholesterol accumulation in the lens as it is for the mechanism of arteriosclerosis. The photograph shows polychromatic and highly reflective needle shaped opacities in the left lens. The needles change color when the angle of the incident light is changed.

In christmas tree cataract the adjacent areas of the lens remain clear. Christmas tree cataract is typically idiopathic or associated with myotonic dystrophy. The blood levels of cholesterol triglyceride hdl and ldl were examined in 35 patients average age 83 5 years.

Because the cataract did not cause a significant decrease in vision it was not removed but monitored for progression. Cataract combined with christmas tree decoration crystals in the lens is a relatively rare but very impressing cataract formation. 26 women 9 men.

This is called the christmas tree cataract.