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Glite Dictionary
anophthalmos

anophthalmos

9.9
A condition where a baby is born without one or both eyes
  • noun
  • /ˌænəˈfθælmoʊs/
  • Specialized
: anofthalmia
  • Ananophthalmos is a rare condition that affects one in every 10,000 births, leading to the absence of one or both eyes.

Examples

  • Three of the four children were completely blind (microphthalmos, anophthalmos, and retinopathy of prematurity, stage V) and one had minimal light perception (Leber's amaurosis).

    Academic text (2007)

  • Parents of children with anophthalmos often seek genetic counseling to understand the hereditary aspects of this congenital condition.

  • The medical team provided support to the family of the newborn diagnosed with anophthalmos, explaining the condition and possible treatments.

Surface Forms

anophthalmos singular
anophthalmoses plural

Morphology

anophthalmos = ophthalmos (opaque) = an + ophthalmos

The term is specialized medical jargon built from Greek combining forms; the base form 'ophthalmos' is not a common standalone English word, so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Anophthalmos comes from Greek parts an- meaning 'without' and ophthalmos meaning 'eye', and it shares the eye part with ophthalmologist, a doctor for eyes. So, anophthalmos means being born 'without one or both eyes'.