The 'morning glory' syndrome.

This paper discusses the characteristic features of 'morning glory' syndrome, observed in 49 patients, described in the literature and in three personal observations. 'Morning glory' syndrome is frequently associated with strabismus (20/49 patients), non-rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (13/56 eyes) or remnants of the hyaloid system (10/56 eyes). Association with basal encephalocele has been encountered three times. The 'morning glory' syndrome usually affects only one eye, although four bilateral cases have been described. The family history was negative, except in the cases discussed by Handmann (1929) and by Rieger (1977), where father and son presented the optic disc anomaly. In Rieger's family there was also familial renal hypoplasia. Morning glory syndrome is not to be considered as a true coloboma, but rather as a posterior ectasia, due to disturbance in the development of the sclera.