Clinical features of optic nerve head in healthy newborns

To determine the size and clinical features of the optical disc in healthy term infants.

Descriptive, observational, cross-sectional, and retrospective study based on complete medical records of newborns at the Angeles Pedregal Hospital, Mexico DF, from May to August 2015. The measurements of the optical disc and clinical features were obtained from digital photographs and evaluated by 2experts. Frequencies, means and standard deviation were calculated using the SPSS version 17.0 for Windows.

The study included a total of 121 patients and 121 eyes. There were 65 males. The mean vertical diameter was 1.60±0.17mm, horizontal diameter 1.31±0.13mm, optical disc area 1.43±0.26mm², and cup to disc ratio 0.25±0.11. The neuroretinal ring colour was orange in 116 (95.9%) eyes. The cribriform plate was not visible in any patient, and in 90 (74.4%) eyes the appearance of the vessels in the papilla was central, and nasal in the rest. The cilioretinal artery was present in 38 (31.4%) eyes. A hyper- and hypo-pigmented peripapillary ring was observed in 114 eyes (94.2%).

The mean area of the optic nerve is 1.43±0.26mm², slightly higher than previously reported. The mean cup to disc ratio is less than 0.3, as reported in the literature, and it is noteworthy that all eyes have a hyper-pigmented and hypo-pigmented peripapillary ring.