Objective:

To report the case of a newborn with congenital cataract, which is rare condition (from one to 15 cases per 10,000 newborns) and in many cases, there is a delay in diagnosis.

Case presentation:

16-day-old female full-term newborn, with normal pregnancy. There was no relevant personal or family history. From the third day of life, her mother noticed “greater brightness” in her left eye. The only abnormality detected on physical examination was left pupillary hyporeflexia, in addition to an asymmetric red reflex sign and “centropupillary” opacity. A pediatric ophthalmologist confirmed the diagnosis of congenital cataract and removed it at three months of age. Although her subsequent evolution was satisfactory, she developed glaucoma.

Conclusion:

Congenital cataract is an eye problem that is difficult to diagnose, therefore knowledge and training are required for its detection. For its identification, the deliberate search for the red reflex in all newborns and infants is required.