CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS INDUCED IN RATS BY MATERNAL VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY

Abstract

ALTHOUGH congenital blindness of offspring of poorly nourished animals has often been described, early reports were specific neither in analysis of nutritional deficiency nor in description of ocular defects. Most of observations were made on cattle, and Moore, Huffman and Duncan 1 have reviewed literature pertaining to this field. Two types of congenital blindness can be distinguished: the true vitamin A type, which is obviously a severe form of xerophthalmia, 2 and another type which is associated with constriction of optic foramen. 3 The latter, characterized by a dilated pupil and absence of inflammation of external structures of eye, is due to atrophy of optic nerve caused by its passage through optic foramen, apparently because of bony pressure. 1 It was difficult to attribute this congenital ocular defect to maternal vitamin A deficiency until Wolbach and Bessey