All issues > Volume 19(1); 1976

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1976;19(1):40-47. Published online January 31, 1976.

Standards for Medial Canthal, Lateral Canthal and Interpupillary Distances of Korean Children

Dong Hwan Lee¹

¹Dept, of Pediatrics, College of Medicine,Seoul National University

Abstract

Because of racial differences in the shape and proportions of the skull, orbital distance and amount of the soft tissues about the eyes, patients should be compared with their own racial norms of interpupillary and canthal distances in diagnosis of hypertelorism or hypotelorism. However normal vaules have not been published yet in Korea. Measurements of 1535 Korean children (Male 756； Female 779) yielded data for mean ±2 S.D. of medial and lateral canthal distances and interpupillary distance. (Table 1 & 2, Fig. 2 & 3) By this data, lateral displacement of medial canthus can be diagnosed in a Korean patient whose medial canthal distance is atove 2.7 cm in newborn and above 4. 0 cm in school age. Hypertelorism can be diagnosed in a patient whose interpupillary distance is above 4. 6 cm in newborn and above 6.6 cm in school age. (Fig. 2 & 3) Separate plotting of the three values for males and females showed no apparent difference. (Fig. 4) Korean children had uniformly wider medial canthal distance by 5 mm compared with American children reported by Pryor. Interpupillary and lateral canthal distances of Korean children were wider by l~5mm than American children. (Fig. 5 & 6) An application of theses normal values should help the clinician in judging ocular hypertelorism and hypotelorism.

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