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Prenatal cocaine exposure and the development of the human eye
J R Stafford1, T S Rosen, M Zaider
1Department of Pediatrics, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York.
Insights
Prenatal cocaine exposure did not significantly impact infant eye development in this study. Axial length and intraocular pressure were comparable between exposed and nonexposed infants, aligning with normal growth parameters.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatalogy
- Toxicology
Background:
- Prenatal cocaine use is a public health concern.
- Previous studies suggest a link between cocaine exposure and congenital eye abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of prenatal cocaine exposure on infant ocular development.
- To compare ocular parameters in cocaine-exposed versus nonexposed infants.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, controlled study of 80 infants (40 exposed, 40 nonexposed).
- Maternal and infant histories, urine toxicology screens, and comprehensive physical and ocular examinations were performed.
- Axial length and intraocular pressure were measured in all infants.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in congenital anomalies, hemorrhages, or optic nerve abnormalities were observed between groups.
- Mean axial length and intraocular pressure were similar in both cocaine-exposed and nonexposed full-term infants.
- Axial length correlated with gestational age, birth weight, and body length, unaffected by cocaine exposure.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal cocaine exposure showed no significant adverse effects on the infant eye in this cohort.
- Ocular measurements in exposed infants were consistent with established norms and fetal growth parameters.
Purpose:
The use of cocaine during pregnancy has been associated with congenital abnormalities of the developing eye. The authors report a prospective, controlled study of 40 cocaine-exposed and 40 nonexposed (control) preterm and full-term infants.
Methods:
Detailed maternal and obstetric histories were obtained by chart review and interview. Infants with a positive urine toxicology screen for cocaine at birth or whose mothers tested positive for cocaine were recruited into the exposed group. Nonexposed infants were recruited at random from newborns admitted to the authors' nurseries. Mothers of these infants received routine prenatal care in the authors' clinics, and nonexposure was documented by maternal history and/or negative urine toxicologies that were available in 30% of these mother-infant pairs. General physical and ocular examinations, including measurement of axial length and intraocular pressure, were performed on all infants.
Results:
Forty infants were recruited in each group, with gestational ages ranging from 25 to 42 weeks. Twenty-nine of the exposed infants and 26 of the control infants were full-term (gestational age, 37 weeks or older). A total of 160 eyes were examined. No differences were seen in the incidence of congenital anomalies, subconjunctival hemorrhages, retinal hemorrhages, or optic nerve abnormalities between the two groups. No differences in mean axial length (16.9 +/- 0.6 mm [exposed group] versus 17.1 +/- 0.7 mm [control group]) or intraocular pressure (15.4 +/- 3.8 mmHg [exposed group] versus 15.0 +/- 3.0 mmHg [control group]) were seen between full-term infants in both groups. Axial length correlated strongly with gestational age, birth weight, head circumference, and body length over the range of gestational ages evaluated in both groups. No effect of cocaine exposure on these correlations was demonstrated. The range of axial length was 12.1 to 18.0 mm in the exposed group and 12.4 to 18.6 mm in the control group.
Conclusion:
In this study group, no significant effect of prenatal cocaine exposure was seen on the infant eye. In both exposed and nonexposed groups, axial length measurements agreed closely with known statistical norms and correlated closely with other parameters of fetal growth.