RESUMO
A retrospective case-control study was carried out in Sharkia Governorate upon 55 cases with congenital cataract, glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa and 20 healthy persons as a control group. This study was intended to investigate the mode of inheritance, implication of prenatal environmental exposure and other personal risk factors in development of these serious eye disorders. The subjects were examined according to the following protocol; [1] an interview for recording the relevant personal and family data, [2] complete medical an ophthalmological examinationX3] family pedigree was constructed for each case and, [4] peripheral lymphocyte haryotyping was done for detection of chromosomal abnormalities. The main findings are as follows: [1] the mode of inheritance in primary congenital glaucoma was multifactorial, in congenital cataract as autosmal dominant and recessive and in retinitis pigmentosa it can follow autosomal dominant and recessive, [2] a significant higher prevalence of chromosomal abberration among cases when compared with control, [3] 66.7% of cases with chromosomal abberration had a prenatal history of exposure to some environmental hazards [P<0.01]. [4]; a history of parental exposure to environmental hazards were reported by 2.6% of all cases with congenital eye disorder