Visual and ocular outcome in children after prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs

Purpose: To prospectively study the incidence of structural and/or function al ophthalmological abnormalities in the offspring to an unselected populat ion of women with epilepsy, subjected to a well controlled antiepileptic dr ug (AED) treatment during pregnancy. Methods: Forty-three children prenatally exposed to antiepileptic drugs and 47 controls were included. Blinded ophthalmological examinations including fundus photography were performed at a median age of 7 years and 4 months. Results: No major eye anomalies were found except in one child in the expos ed group who had nystagmus and low vision. The visual acuity was lower in t he eye with lowest acuity among the exposed children (p<0.05). No other sig nificant difference was found between the two groups. Conclusion: The results suggest that a cell-controlled treatment with AEDs, preferably monotherapy, during pregnancy does not have any major adverse e ffects on the development of the eye and ophthalmological functions.