A 72-year-old man presents with a totally white cataract. Slit-lamp examination shows liquefied cortical matter with a brownish nucleus settled inferiorly within the capsular bag. What is the diagnosis?
- A Posterior polar cataract
- B Intumescent cortical cataract
- C Morgagnian cataract ✓
- D Nuclear sclerosis grade 5
Correct answer: C. Morgagnian cataract
Explanation
C Morgagnian cataract is a hypermature senile cataract in which the entire cortex has liquified and the dense brown nucleus sinks to the bottom of the capsular bag, where it is freely mobile. An intumescent cataract is swollen and hydrated rather than shrunken, posterior polar cataract is a congenital posterior opacity, and nuclear sclerosis shows a hardened nucleus without liquefied cortex.
Reference: Parsons' Diseases of the Eye, 23rd ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.