An evaluation of selected human eye dimensions at different periods of the foetal life

Abstract

In the course of myopia many anatomical changes in the structure of the eyeball take place. These changes surface during early childhood. It is unclear if these changes form during the stage of foetal life. The aim of the paper was to examine whether changes which predestine to the formation of myopia occur during the prenatal period. 26 eyeballs of humans aged between 4 and 8 months of foetal life, fixed in a 10% solution of formalin were examined. The axial, equatorial and corneal dimensions were measured with Vernier calipers. The data were elaborated statistically by the Student t test, the significance level being p < 0.05. It was observed that in the course of maturation the axial length, equatorial and corneal diameter of the foetal eye increase. It was also observed that the dimensions of the eyeball expand symmetrically in all directions. This indicates that there is no predisposition to the development of myopia in the period of prenatal life.