title: Tactile corneal reflex development in full-term babies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the development of the tactile corneal reflex in healthy full-term babies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective longitudinal comparative case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  The tactile corneal reflex was evaluated by three ophthalmologists using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The probability of the presence of the tactile corneal reflex was calculated in relation to gestational age, postpartum age, postconceptional age, and birth weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Snir
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Axer-Siegel
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bourla
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Benjamini
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weinberger
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001724:Birth Weight; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology*; D003315:Cornea / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies