A baby is born with cataract — a cloudy lens — in both eyes. The lens forms from surface ectoderm (lens placode) folding into the optic cup during week 4–5. Congenital cataract means the lens fibres failed to stay transparent — from rubella infection, genetic causes, or metabolic disorders. Because vision develops in the first months of life, a cloudy lens left untreated causes permanent lazy eye (amblyopia) — the brain never learns to see. Early surgical removal restores the chance of normal vision.