Science News

... from universities, journals, and other research organizations

Eye Divergence In Children Triples Risk Of Mental Illness

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2008) — Children whose eyes are misaligned and point outward are at significantly increased risk of developing mental illness by early adulthood, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study published this month in a Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The retrospective study examined the medical records of 407 patients with strabismus (misaligned eyes) and compared them with records of children matched for age and sex but with normal eye alignment. Children with eyes that diverged (exotropia) were three times more likely to develop a psychiatric disorder than were the control subjects, while those with inward deviating eyes (esotropia) showed no increase in the incidence of mental illnesses.

Brian Mohney, M.D., the Mayo Clinic pediatric ophthalmologist who led the study, says the results can help alert physicians to potential problems in their pediatric patients. "Pediatricians and family practice physicians who see children with strabismus should be aware of the increased risk of mental illness," says Dr. Mohney. "They can hopefully be alert to the earliest signs of psychiatric problems in patients with exotropia, so they can consider having them seen by a psychologist or psychiatrist."

Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes that affects three to five percent of children, and about 125,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

| More

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mayo Clinic.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


APA

MLA

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Search ScienceDaily

Number of stories in archives: 114,875

Find with keyword(s):
 
Enter a keyword or phrase to search ScienceDaily's archives for related news topics,
the latest news stories, reference articles, science videos, images, and books.

 
  more breaking science news

Social Networks


Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
| More

Breaking News

... from NewsDaily.com

In Other News ...

Copyright Reuters 2008. See Restrictions.

Free Subscriptions

... from ScienceDaily

Get the latest science news with our free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

Feedback

... we want to hear from you!

Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

 
Post this page to your favorite social bookmarking site:
close
Include this item in your blog or web site:
close
Cite this article in your essay, paper, or report:
close
Email this page's link to a friend or colleague:
close