[Corneal disease in childhood-Hereditary, degenerative or infectious?]

Adequate visual acuity significantly contributes to the age-appropriate development of children's neurobehavior. Infantile corneal opacities are rare but implicate a high potential for amblyopia.

This review aims to provide an overview of the most common causes of infantile corneal opacities and highlights ophthalmopathological correlations.

The following review is based on an extensive literature search.

If metabolic diseases, traumatic or infectious events can be excluded as a cause for an infantile corneal opacity, it is important to focus on the 3Ds, corneal dysgenesis, corneal dystrophy or corneal degeneration.

If corneal opacities occur in childhood, early recognition, diagnosis, and initiation of treatment, including prophylaxis of amblyopia, are of utmost importance. In unexplained corneal opacities the histopathological work-up of the explanted cornea can contribute to the final diagnosis.