Q12.1: Congenital displaced lens

The lens of your eye has moved.

The lens of the eye is located behind the pupil. The pupil is a round hole in the iris. The lens of the eye is transparent and lens-shaped like a magnifying glass. It lies in a fixed, transparent capsule made of connective tissue. The lens of the eye is a sort of magnifying glass. It can focus light within the eye. The lens can be more or less curved. This is vital to be able to clearly see objects at different distances. All around, the edge of the lens is connected to a muscle by threads of connective tissue. This muscle can adjust the curvature of the lens.

The lens of your eye is not in its normal position in the capsule. Instead, the lens is further forward or back in the eye. In your case this happened when you were in the womb. With this defect, the threads of connective tissue around your lens have not developed correctly. So the threads cannot hold the lens in its place. This defect can be hereditary. Other family members can also be affected by a hereditary disorder.

If the lens of the eye is displaced, various problems can occur. You vision can be limited. You may have double vision. The displaced lens may cause the pressure in the inner eye to rise. Increased pressure in the inner eye can damage the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits information from the eye to the brain.