Ophthalmologic Features of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

To describe the characteristics and frequency of ophthalmologic findings in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS).

The medical records of patients diagnosed with LGS at Seoul National University Children's Hospital from January 2004 to August 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The records of 34 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 2.66 ± 3.51 years; male, 58.8%) were reviewed. The primary measure was the incidence of ophthalmologic manifestations.

Of the 34 patients, 88.2% had at least one ocular abnormality. Refractive error (52.9%) was the most frequently observed ophthalmologic manifestation in patients with LGS, followed by strabismus (32.4%), cortical visual impairment (23.5%), and retinopathy of prematurity (8.8%). Among these cases, seven patients had exotropia and three had esotropia.

LGS is a childhood-onset epileptic encephalopathy with variable ophthalmologic manifestations, the most frequent being refractive errors. Patients with suspected LGS should be examined regularly because ophthalmological features can change during their disease course.