Ocular staphyloma associated with facial clefting

A staphyloma is an uncommon ocular lesion consisting of an attenuation in the sclera, which, along with the underlying uveal tissue, bulges to form a raised pigmented area on the eye. The scleral defect predisposes the globe to rupture under conditions of increased intraocular pressure, which might occur while retracting the eye during cranio-orbital surgery. We report a case of a staphyloma in a child with bilateral facial clefts. Before hypertelorism correction, she underwent scleral repair with a cadaveric graft. Her orbital repositioning was performed without incident 10 months later. The significance of a possible association between facial clefting and staphyloma is discussed.