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Tactile corneal reflex development in full-term babies
Moshe Snir1, Ruth Axer-Siegel, Dan Bourla
1Department of Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
Insights
The tactile corneal reflex is underdeveloped in newborns, with only 10% showing it at 2 days old. This reflex develops over the first three months, indicating normal neurologic maturation in infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- The tactile corneal reflex is a crucial indicator of neurological function.
- Its developmental trajectory in healthy newborns requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the development of the tactile corneal reflex in healthy, full-term infants.
- To correlate reflex presence with gestational age, postpartum age, and birth weight.
Main Methods:
- Prospective longitudinal study involving 191 neonates (1-3 days) and 200 infants (1-12 weeks).
- Tactile corneal reflex assessed using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer by three ophthalmologists.
- Logistic regression analysis to determine factors influencing reflex development.
Main Results:
- Only 10% of neonates exhibited the reflex at 2 days, increasing to 50% by 3.5 weeks and 100% by 12 weeks.
- Postpartum age significantly influenced reflex development more than gestational age.
- Birth weight also showed a statistically significant impact on reflex presence (P=0.005).
Conclusions:
- The tactile corneal reflex is largely absent in newborns and matures progressively over the first three months.
- This development signifies a longitudinal neurologic maturation process in infants.
- Findings support the tactile corneal reflex as a marker for normal neurologic development.
Objective:
To evaluate the development of the tactile corneal reflex in healthy full-term babies.
Design:
Prospective longitudinal comparative case series.
Participants:
One hundred and ninety-one babies aged 1 to 3 days examined in the nursery, and 200 babies aged 1 to 12 weeks examined in an orthopedic outpatient clinic.
Methods:
The tactile corneal reflex was evaluated by three ophthalmologists using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer.
Main Outcome Measures:
The probability of the presence of the tactile corneal reflex was calculated in relation to gestational age, postpartum age, postconceptional age, and birth weight.
Results:
The proportion of children with tactile corneal reflex was expressed in a linear logistic model. We found that 10% of the babies had tactile corneal reflex in at least one eye at 2 days of age, 25% at 1 week, 50% at 3.5 weeks, 75% at 6 weeks, and 100% at 12 weeks. The postpartum age had a greater impact on the development of the tactile corneal reflex than the gestational age. The birth weight also had a statistically significant influence (P = 0.005, Wald's test).
Conclusions:
The tactile corneal reflex is present in only a minority of newborns and develops during the first 3 months of life. These results demonstrate that the tactile corneal reflex has a longitudinal neurologic development and is part of the normal neurologic maturation process.