[Hydrophthalmia and configuration of the optic disc (author's transl)]

Three sisters, one brother, and the father of a female patient with primary hydrophthalmus on both eyes had abnormally great physiologic cups. The cup/disc ratio was between 0.5 and 0.72. Two other brothers showed a cup/disc ratio between 0.37 and 0.42, whereas the mother had a cup/disc ratio of 0.2 on both sides. The enlarged physiologic cups of the sisters, the brother, and the father of the propositus correspond to the 4th category of the classification according to Elschnig. Like the hydrophthalmus as a result of a functional disturbance of the eye cup, the occurrence of abnormally big physiologic cups is also referred to the organizing and forming effects of the eye cup. Whether there exists an intrafamiliar relationship between the hydrophthalmus and the abnormally big physiologic cups or not is to be elucidated by further investigations.