What is coloboma?

Coloboma (pronounced col - a - bow - ma) means that part of one or more structures inside an unborn baby’s eye does not fully develop during pregnancy. This underdeveloped tissue is normally in the lower nasal (down and towards the nose) part of the eye and it can be small or large. A coloboma occurs in about one in 5,000 births and develops at around five to seven weeks of pregnancy.

Coloboma can affect one eye (unilateral) or both eyes (bilateral) and it can affect different parts of the eye. As coloboma forms during the initial development of the eye, it is present from birth and into adulthood.

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