Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Infant Visual Acuity

Protective Effects of the Alcohol Dehydrogenase-ADH1B Allele in Children Exposed to Alcohol During Pregnancy

“…Our prenatal alcohol studies in Detroit and Cape Town, South Africa, have provided extensive evidence that both older maternal age and a history of maternal drinking problems are important factors that enhance fetal vulnerability to a broad range of alcohol-related deficits. 31,32 The data reported in this article have confirmed a third important effect modifier of fetal teratogenesis initially suggested by McCarver et al 5 -the maternal ADH1B*3 allele.…”

Eye Malformations in Children with Heavy Alcohol Exposure in Utero

“…This group reported an association between prenatal alcohol exposure and diminished visual acuity in infancy (27.3% vs 9.3% of controls; P Ͻ .005). 3 But because this study was limited by an incomplete eye examination, the authors were unable to determine the cause (eg, refractive error, retinal changes, central nervous system abnormalities) of the lower visual acuity scores in infants with prenatal alcohol exposure. The authors also made the important point that acuity deficits seen at age 6.5 months may reflect simply a maturational deficit or a delay in visual system development.…”

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] These disorders may include external eye malformations, intraocular abnormalities, and impaired visual acuity. 3,4,19 Previous investigations had limitations, including studying only children with FAS who were referred for ophthalmologic evaluation because of known or suspected problems, providing little or no information on the extent of in utero alcohol exposure, performing limited evaluations of visual function, and examining only a small number of subjects. As a result, little is known regarding the risk of eye malformations in children who were exposed to high levels of alcohol in utero but did not develop FAS.…”

Expressing urine from a gel disposable diaper for biomonitoring using phthalates as an example

“…In general, children with a history of intrauterine ethanol exposure tend to lack the ability to stay focused and attentive over time and have difficulty analysing problems and forming effective response strategies. New evidence from South Africa indicates that gestational ethanol exposure also results in the disruption of the infant visual system (Carter et al, 2005). As children born to drinking mothers mature, deficits in social behaviour become more pronounced and are often expressed in the form of classroom aggression, impaired social judgement, and antisocial/delinquent behaviour (Allebeck & Olsen, 1998;Famy et al, 1998).…”