Purpose: To study functional and anatomic characteristics of eyes of Russian children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Methods: One hundred children aged 10-16 years from Russian orphanages (St. Petersburg) were examined: 50 with verified diagnosis of FAS and 50 healthy children. All children were tested for distance visual acuity (VA) with subjective optimal correction (Sivtsev chart), skiascopy, visual inspection for FAS external ocular features, biomicroscopy, eye alignment using cover test, and indirect ophthalmoscopy.
Results: All analyzed parameters were worse in children with FAS compared with controls. Children with FAS showed a higher incidence of amblyopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and anisometropia. In children with FAS, the incidence of blepharophimosis was 34% (8% in controls), epicanthus 14% (2% in controls), telecanthus 32% (compared to 4% in controls), eyelid ptosis 9% (none in controls), and strabismus 26% (10% in controls). Ophthalmoscopy revealed a tilted optic disc in 5 children with FAS (7%) compared with none in controls.
Conclusion: Russian children with FAS have a higher incidence of vision problems and eye pathology that needs to be taken into account and requires ophthalmologist monitoring.