Cortisone cataract in children with nephrotic syndrome

In a group of 16 children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome treated with corticosteroids for longer than 12 months, 9 developed a posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC). No correlation between the frequency of PSC and the duration of treatment and the total dose of treatment with steroids was demonstrable. However, the patients with PSC had received considerably higher average daily doses than those without PSC. Two patients with normal ophthalmologic findings at the end of treatment showed PSC 6 and 9 months later respectively. Only one patient acquired a significant impairment of visus.