Margin Reflex Distance and Palpebral Fissure Height in Different Ethnic Groups

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: To determine if ethnicity effects the margin reflex distance (MRD) and palpebral fissure height (PFH) in adults. Methods: A chart review of eyelid measurements in 112 adult patients of African American, Asian, Caucasian and Latinos was analyzed by ANCOVA analysis. All data was collected by a single examiner and patients with conditions disposing to eyelid height changes were excluded. Results: The MRD showed statistically significant variance between ethnic groups with a p value of 0.0002. PFH was also statistically significant between groups with a p value of 0.0164. Conclusions: There is variance between ethnic groups for MRD and less strongly for PFH. This data is useful for both diagnosis and surgical treatment of patients.

Keywords: eyelid • anatomy