Birth defects

Some times babies may be born with some defects. The first question that comes to the minds of the parents is why us? 

The exact cause of these defects is not known, but they are seen more with infections during pregnancy, Dietary deficiency, addictions to alcohol, tobacco and other dangerous drugs in the parents. Exposure of the mother to radiations during pregnancy or if she has to take certain medicines like those for convulsions, they can be the culprits. Sometimes they can be hereditary.

The birth defects that occur in the eye are -

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Coloboma

Absence of a part or a whole of the eye tissue from birth is called as Coloboma.

Coloboma can occur in -

Cause- Abnormality along the development of the Optic fissure in the embryo.

The visual outcome is affected, according to their location and severity. If they are tiny, they may remain unnoticed forever. If they are big and for e.g. in retina, they will affect vision.

They may occur in association with abnormalities in other systems as in Golden-Har syndrome.

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Have you noticed a small firm lump near the eyebrow of your 6 month old niece recently and are surfing to find out about it? 

There is a possibility it could be -

Dermoid Cyst

Sometimes during development of the fetus, the outer ectodermal layer gets buried. Later, this layer starts forming hair, secreting oils inside leading to a lump formation. The lump may even indent the surrounding bone. This dermoid cyst may be found near the eyes. Very rarely it may extend into the brain. Dermoid cysts require surgical removal.

Microphthalmos

In this condition the eye is smaller at birth. There may be associated refractive errors, or other problems.

Orbital abnormalities -

The eye is located in a bony socket, called as the orbit. Orbit formation may be defective if the skull bones are abnormal. This occur in certain diseases like Apert's syndrome. The orbit may be too small and the eyes bulge out. Fortunately such occurrences are rare.

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