Early-onset unilateral electric cataract: a rare clinical entity

Electrical injury may result in cataracts, which usually occur bilaterally. In this report, we present a rare complication of such an injury presenting as a unilateral cataract in a 33-year-old woman with a painless but gradual worsening of vision in her left eye 3 weeks after sustaining a high-voltage electrical injury. A cataract did not develop in the right eye during 26 months of follow-up. The patient underwent successful cataract surgery with an excellent return of vision. Electrical injuries may result in the formation of a unilateral cataract and therefore an ophthalmic examination should be performed regularly in the early recovery period of such injuries. Cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation results in an excellent return of vision in patients with electrical cataract who do not have any other ocular damage.