Ocular teratology

The developing eye is not only highly vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency, but also an excess of exogenous RA is known to cause severe eye malformations [1, 2, 13, 25]. We analyzed the mechanism of retinoid-related ocular teratology and its normal correlate in early zebrafish and mouse embryos, and we conclude that for the proper formation of the ventro-dorsal retina dimension, the eye anlage has to contain both a RA-rich and a RA-poor region. 

Miller, M.T., and K. Stromland. 1999. Teratogen update Thalidomide A review, with a focus on ocular findings and new potential uses. Teratology 60(5) 306-321. 

Figure 5.1. Horizontal cross-section tlirough tlie human eye, showing tlie principal structures refeiTed to in tlie text. (Illustration from Ocular Anatomy, Embryology and Teratology 1982, used witli permission from Williams and Wilkins, Philadelpliia, PA.)...

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