OCULAR STAPHYLOMA ASSOCIATED WITH FACIAL CLEFTING

A staphyloma is an uncommon ocular lesion consisting of an attenuation in the sclera, which, along with the underlying uveal tissue, bulges to form a raised pigmented area on the eye. The scleral defect predisp oses the globe to rupture under conditions of increased intraocular pr essure, which might occur while retracting the eye during cranio-orbit al surgery. We report a case of a staphyloma in a child with bilateral facial clefts. Before hypertelorism correction, she underwent scleral repair with a cadaveric graft. Her orbital repositioning was performe d without incident 10 months later. The significance of a possible ass ociation between facial clefting and staphyloma is discussed.