Which statement about Morgagnian cataract is true?

Which statement about Morgagnian cataract is true?

• A. It is characterized by liquefaction of the cortex with sinking of the dense nucleus
• B. It presents with rapid onset glaucoma
• C. It shows early posterior subcapsular opacification
• D. It has rigid, non-liquefied cortex

Answer: (A)

Morgagnian cataract is a hypermature cataract in which the cortex liquefies while the nucleus remains dense and sinks under gravity. This combination—cortex turning into a milky, fluid material and the dense nucleus descending to the bottom of the lens—is the hallmark feature. The liquefied cortex can escape through the capsule and may contribute to lens-induced or phacolytic glaucoma, but the defining image is the cortex liquefaction with a sunken, dense nucleus. Other statements don’t fit as well because rapid glaucoma onset isn’t a defining trait of this type, early posterior subcapsular opacification points to different cataract patterns, and a rigid, non-liquefied cortex describes an immature rather than Morgagnian cataract.

Morgagnian cataract is a hypermature cataract in which the cortex liquefies while the nucleus remains dense and sinks under gravity. This combination—cortex turning into a milky, fluid material and the dense nucleus descending to the bottom of the lens—is the hallmark feature. The liquefied cortex can escape through the capsule and may contribute to lens-induced or phacolytic glaucoma, but the defining image is the cortex liquefaction with a sunken, dense nucleus.

Other statements don’t fit as well because rapid glaucoma onset isn’t a defining trait of this type, early posterior subcapsular opacification points to different cataract patterns, and a rigid, non-liquefied cortex describes an immature rather than Morgagnian cataract.