Visual and ocular outcome in children after prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs

PURPOSE: To prospectively study the incidence of structural and/or functional ophthalmological abnormalities in the offspring to an unselected population of women with epilepsy, subjected to a well controlled antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment during pregnancy. METHODS: Forty-three children prenatally exposed to antiepileptic drugs and 47 controls were included. Blinded ophthalmological examinations including fundus photography were performed at a median age of 7 years and 4 months. RESULTS: No major eye anomalies were found except in one child in the exposed group who had nystagmus and low vision. The visual acuity was lower in the eye with lowest acuity among the exposed children (p < 0.05). No other significant difference was found between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a well-controlled treatment with AEDs, preferably monotherapy, during pregnancy does not have any major adverse effects on the development of the eye and ophthalmological functions.