Rupture of the anterior lens capsule in Alport syndrome

Alport syndrome is an inherited disorder of type IV collagen, a major constituent of basement membranes. Eighty-five percent of cases are transmitted through X-linked dominant inheritance, although autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive inheritance has also been reported. Clinical manifestations of Alport syndrome include progressive glomerulopathy, sensorineural deafness, anterior lenticonus, posterior corneal dystrophy, and abnormal retinal pigmentation. Anterior lenticonus may lead to loss of vision because of progressive myopia or cataract formation. We report 2 cases of unusual cataract formation in adolescent boys who had a rupture of the anterior lens capsule. One rupture was spontaneous, and the other was traumatic.