A 72-year-old man presents with a white pupil in the right eye. Slit-lamp examination shows a completely liquefied cortex with the brown nucleus settled inferiorly within the capsular bag, and the capsule appears wrinkled. Which type of cataract is described?
- A Morgagnian cataract ✓
- B Intumescent cataract
- C Sclerotic hypermature cataract
- D Posterior subcapsular cataract
Correct answer: A. Morgagnian cataract
Explanation
In a Morgagnian cataract the cortex has fully liquefied, allowing the dense brown nucleus to sink inferiorly by gravity within the capsular bag. An intumescent cataract instead swells with hydration and produces a shallow anterior chamber with a large lens, while a sclerotic hypermature cataract shows a shrunken, wrinkled capsule with a hard but non-mobile nucleus. The sinking nucleus is the discriminating finding.
Reference: Khurana, Comprehensive Ophthalmology, 8th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.