EYE SIZE IN HEALTHY SWEDISH CHILDREN AND IN CHILDREN WITH FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME

Purpose: This study set out to collect reference data for normal ocula r growth and to study the teratological effects of alcohol on eye deve lopment. Methods: Eye size was studied in 92 healthy Swedish children (age 1 month to 16 years) as reference and in 13 children (age 1.4 mon ths to 17 years) with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) using ultrasonograp hic axial length measurements. Another three children with FAS were ev aluated by clinical examination only. Results: The control group demon strated a marked increase in total axial length during the first 2 yea rs of life. Girls with FAS had a shorter total axial length (p=0.045) than their controls. Both boys and girls with FAS demonstrated a relat ively smaller vitreous body than the controls, p=0.015 and 0.068, resp ectively. Three children with FAS had severe structural anomalies. Con clusion: The observations support previous studies indicating that alc ohol has an adverse effect on growth and configuration of the eye.