[Congenital anophthalmos]

The authors analyze 8 cases of congenital anophthalmia (CA). In all the cases this condition has been a component of multiple congenital developmental abnormalities; in 4 cases the defect has been nosologically diagnosed. Developmental defects of the central nervous system have been revealed in all the cases. Histologic studies have made it possible to single out, with due consideration for the normal embryogenesis of the eye, the following variants of CA: (1) complete anophthalmia, (2) partial anophthalmia--(a) purely neuroectodermal, (b) mixed mesodermal/ectodermal, (3) anophthalmia with cysts, (4) anophthalmia with intracranial synophthalmus. The possible mechanisms of teratogenesis acting in every case of CA are discussed.