Aim and epidemiological Cross 
sectional study to determine the most common 
causes of congenital cataract in a sample of Iraqi 
patients referred to the main tertiary eye center in 
Iraq. Setting: Ibn Al-Haithem Teaching eye Hospital 
/Baghdad-Iraq. 
Patients and Methods : A total of (57) patients (108 
eyes); were included in this study. Any child with 
congenital cataract referred to the hospital or 
discovered during routine outpatient examination 
was included. 
Examination of the patients was done by operative 
microscope after light general anesthesia especially 
for uncooperative patients. Parents of the patients 
were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. 
Serological tests for intrauterine infections done and 
Biochemical tests as reducing substances in urine 
and blood glucose were also performed. 
Results: (32) 56.14% males and (25) 43.85% 
females. (51) 89.4% bilateral and (6) 10.5% 
unilateral. Consanguinity of the parents found in 
(33)57.89% of the patient. Their ages were ranging 
from 25 days to 12 years. Regarding the causes, 29 
(50.87%) were idiopathic, 24 (42.1%) inherited and 
4 (7.01%) intrauterine infection. Only 3 patients had 
other systemic abnormalities and the main 
presenting symptom was white pupil. 

Conclusion : Congenital cataract mainly 
presented in the first year of life, most cases were 
bilateral with leukocoria as the main presenting 
symptom. Most cases were idiopathic.