It’s one a handful of physical disorders named after a flower. This very rare eye syndrome is congenital.
It’s the result of a malformation of the optic nerve head that resembles the morning glory. This malformation causes a posterior displacement of the optic disc in a funnel-shaped space surrounded by a raised pigment ring, according to Optician. Girls are affected twice as often as boys. The condition usually occurs in just one eye.
Morning glory syndrome is the result of an undeveloped optic nerve. Wikipedia suggests that while the baby was still in the womb, the nerve ending from the affected eye failed to reach the nerve ending from the brain. Doctors who examine the child see a white mass at the central core, where the normal optic cup should be located.
When an ophthalmologist takes a picture of the affected eye, the white core stands out from the veins in the eye and resembles the center of the morning glory flower. Without the normal black-looking mass that’s the optic nerve, the eye might reflect as if it has a white pupil. However, this alone does not result in a definite diagnosis. Doctors area able to make a positive diagnosis only after dilating and examining the optic disk.
The signs of this condition appear after a child is a year old. Parents typically notice problems with balance as the baby learns to sit or walk. Sometimes the child tilts his head to use the unaffected eye for a normal view. Running into objects placed on the side of the “bad” eye often results in stumbling or falling. Some children also develop “lazy eye,” a condition where the eye drifts markedly away from a fixed point.
Children with morning glory syndrome suffer from severely impaired vision in the eye where it occurs. Those with milder versions have limited color or depth perception. In its severest forms, the syndrome results in total blindness. The most common side effect, however, is eye strain from depending on the normal eye too much. Afflicted children run a higher-than-normal risk of developing a detached retina.
The cause of morning glory syndrome remains elusive. Researchers speculate that it might be linked to a PAX2 gene mutation, also associated with brain and kidney disorders. It’s sometimes found in children with other cranial disorders, though a specific link to them has never been established. Recent research suggests a potential link to undiagnosed thyroid problems the mother experienced during pregnancy.
There is no specific treatment for morning glory syndrome beyond treating a detached retina with a laser or surgery. To lessen the chance of the retina detaching, physicians usually advise parents to limit their children’s contact sports. Many patients wear safety glasses for life. In general, they can live a normal life, including driving a car. However, due to an “off” sense of balance, activities such as ice skating are often difficult for them.
Doctors first identified and diagnosed morning glory syndrome in the late 1970s. In the United States, just one individual out of a million suffers from it. Although no surveys have been completed to calculate a more precise rate of occurrence, some researchers suggest that the incidence is just one out of every two to three million Americans.
Reference:
- Optician web site
- Wikipedia entry
