The most frequent ocular anomalies found were myopia in 62 eyes, hypermetropia in 58 eyes and astigmatism in 54 eyes. In the DIA subjects hypermetropia is prevalent, and in those with DIV and/ or AVSD the other three anomalies (hypermetropia, myopia and astigmatism) are more or less equally frequent. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the frequent association between congenital cardiac diseases and ocular anomalies, above all refractive defects, in DS patients, and draws attention to the need for early ophthalmic screening to set going all the essential corrective actions for a better quality of life.

On the basis of the literature data the relationships between chronic open-angle glaucoma, endocrinopathies and nocturnal apnoea syndrome are re-examined. It is assumed that the onset of glaucoma in different endocrinopathies has an only pathogenetic mechanism: OSAS.