Ocular Findings in Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Cerebral palsy is a neuromuscular disability resulting from an injury to the motor centers of the brain. The condition was first described by Little in a monograph published in 1843.¹In the past decade it has been brought to social and medical consciousness and characterized by the work of such men as Phelps,²Perlstein,³Crothers,⁴and Deaver.* While much has been written on the general condition, Guibor † is probably the only contributor to the ophthalmic literature. He noted that over 50% of patients with cerebral palsy have oculomotor anomalies, the commonest being defects of horizontal gaze and esotropia. Conservative therapy with atropine, lenses, and prisms was described. Guibor stressed that small children have a remarkable capacity for recovery from motor anomalies when treatment is instituted at an early stage. This observation is borne out by the experimental work of Kennard⁹on young monkeys. The