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Anophthalmia

Background

Anophthalmia is a rare developmental abnormality. It is part of a range of abnormalities in which babies are born with no eye in the eye socket (anophthalmia) or with a small eye in the eye socket (microphthalmia). Anophthalmia can affect both eyes, in which case the baby will be blind, or only one eye in which case the baby may have normal vision in the other eye.

Anophthalmia or severe microphthalmia occurs in 3 to 7 in 100,000 live births. This means that in England and Wales there are only about thirty to thirty-five babies born each year with anophthalmia or severe microphthalmia. About half of these babies have other developmental problems in addition to anophthalmia.

What are the causes? View What are the causes?

Medical text written November 1995 by Mr A J Vivian, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, UK. Last updated October 2004 by Miss Nicola Ragge MD FRCOphth FRCPCH, Honorary Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK and Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK and Senior Surgical Scientist, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

 

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