Anophthalmos is the medical term for congenital
(i.e. from birth) absence of an eye.
Both eyes, or just one eye, may be affected.
There are three classifications of anophthalmos:
- Primary Anophthalmia is a complete absence of eye tissue due
to a failure of the part of the brain that forms the eye. This is extremely
rare.
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- Secondary Anophthalmia refers to the situation when the eye
started to develop and then for some reason ceased development - resulting
in only residual eye tissue or very tiny eyes that can only be seen
under close examination. This is less rare than "Primary Anophthalmia".
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- Degenerative Anophthalmia refers to the situation when the
eye started to form and then for some reason degenerated, e.g. due to
lack of blood supply to the developing eye.
There is no known cure for anophthalmos but treatment
may involve use of prosthetic eyes fitted to the empty eye sockets - both
for cosmetic purposes, and also to help promote growth of the eye socket.
More about Ophthalmology: This section includes short definitions
of many diseases, disorders, and conditions of the eyes and visual system.
For definitions of other terms in this category, choose from the list
to the left (but note that this is not a complete/exhaustive list).
Other related pages include the diagram
of the eye, and definitions
of parts of the eye, a description
of the human retina, and definitions
of parts of the retina, and the section of short definitions
of clinical and surgical procedures re. eyes and human visual system.
For further information see also our section of Books
about Ophthalmology. |
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This Section
is about
Diseases
and Disorders of the Eyes and Visual System.
To read about other diseases, disorders, or conditions of the eye and
human visual system, use the links on the left-side of this page.
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