I read an interesting article recently that discussed a retrospective study between birth weight and vertical cup-to-disc ratio as an adult, average age 30. The study was done at a hospital in Germany with mostly white participants, so it may not be applicable to non-whites. For babies that were born small for gestational age (SGA) in the lower 3% percentile or less, they had a much higher chance of having a large vertical cup-to-disc ratio of their optic nerve, which puts them at greater risk to develop glaucoma.
Since glaucoma is asymptomatic in the early stages and there are many people who do not come in for routine eye exams, I encourage those who had a low birth weight to come in for a routine eye exam with dilation to be evaluated for glaucoma, which is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. However, if caught early, in most patients we can save their vision.
Fieb A, Gibler S, Mildenberger E, et al. Fetal growth restriction leads to an enlarged cup-to-disc ratio in adults born at full term. Am. J Ophthalmol. February 7, 2024.
