Ocular findings in the Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl syndrome

To improve the description of the ocular part of the Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

We examined 44 Scandinavian individuals who all had retinal dystrophy plus at least 2 more of the traditional cardinal signs of the syndrome: obesity, hypogenitalism, polydactyly and mental retardation.

Full-field electroretinograms were obtained in 36 of the individuals and were abnormal in all. The dark adaptation thresholds were elevated by on average 3.5 log units. Symptoms of night blindness were observed at a mean age of 4 years and visual problems at daytime at 6-7 years. No one exceeding the age of 16 had a best corrected visual acuity of more than 0.1. In the fundus attenuated vessels were noted at all ages while macular pigmentations and a wax-pale optic disc appeared at age 6-7 years. Pigmentary changes in the midperiphery were noted at the earliest at 13 years of age and appeared mainly as bone spicules, however, in a minority of cases the pigmentations were atypical. Ten of the participants had been followed through a period of 9 years. Their visual acuity was reduced by on average 0.3 line (decimals) and the angle of visual fields by approximate 3 degrees (Goldmann standard object V:4e) per year through the adolescence.

The ocular disease in Laurence-Mood-Bardet-Biedl syndrome presents early, the prognosis for visual function is poor and the fundus features are atypical and varying.