Relationship between Ocular Morbidity and Infant Nutrition

Abstract

The nutrition of the constantly growing and developing infant even after birth has an undeniable contribution to the development of eyes, which can be considered as the extension of the brain. Therefore, the elucidation of these physiological developments is valuable in terms of preventing pathological conditions. During the first six months of an infant’s life, nutrition is provided through breast milk or infant formula, and after the sixth month, there is a transition to additional food. Breast milk is, thus, considered as ‘miracle food’, with a growing body of research being undertaken to investigate its relationship with orbital diseases and reporting that breast milk reduces ocular morbidity. Breast milk is an accessible, economical and important nutrition source for eye development and infant health. The developments in recent years have resulted in the content of formula being closer to that of breast milk, which can positively affect the neurovisional development of babies that cannot be fed with breast milk.