The aim of this, study was to evaluate ocular findings in children with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate. Fifty-seven consecutive patients with cleft lip and/or palate seeking orthodontic treatment during 2006 were examined prospectively from an ophthalmological standpoint.

Mean age of the patients was 9.2 years (range: 15 days to 18 years). Of the 57 children in total, five cases (8.7%) had cleft lip, six cases (10.5%) had isolated cleft palate and 46 cases (80.7%) had both cleft lip and palate. Thirty-seven of 46 cases with cleft lip and palate were unilateral and 20 were bilateral. Eleven of the 57 patients (19.1%) had ocular findings including congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (5 patients), ptosis (1 patient), bilateral iris coloboma (1 patient), dermoid tumor (1 patient), vernal conjunctivitis (1 patient), and esophoria (1 patient). Twenty patients (35%) had one or more systemic abnormalities such as motor mental retardation, hearing loss, syndactylia, growth retardation, double urinary tract, vesicoureteral reflux, penile nevus, hypospadias, non-redundant testis, inguinal hernia, mitral valve prolapsus, ventricular septal defect, complete right bundle branch block, and hirsutism.

Though not very often, cleft lip and palate patients may have several associated ocular changes, and these patients should also be examined by ophthalmologists.