Tactile corneal reflex development in full-term babies.

Abstract

To evaluate the development of the tactile corneal reflex in healthy full-term babies. Prospective longitudinal comparative case series. One hundred and ninety-one babies aged 1 to 3 days examined in the nursery, and 200 babies aged 1 to 12 weeks examined in an orthopedic outpatient clinic. The tactile corneal reflex was evaluated by three ophthalmologists using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer. The probability of the presence of the tactile corneal reflex was calculated in relation to gestational age, postpartum age, postconceptional age, and birth weight. The proportion of children with tactile corneal reflex was expressed in a linear logistic model. We found that 10% of the babies had tactile corneal reflex in at least one eye at 2 days of age, 25% at 1 week, 50% at 3.5 weeks, 75% at 6 weeks, and 100% at 12 weeks. The postpartum age had a greater impact on the development of the tactile corneal reflex than the gestational age. The birth weight also had a statistically significant influence (P = 0.005, Wald's test). The tactile corneal reflex is present in only a minority of newborns and develops during the first 3 months of life. These results demonstrate that the tactile corneal reflex has a longitudinal neurologic development and is part of the normal neurologic maturation process.