CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A South African study finds women who drink during pregnancy may be injuring their babies' eyesight.
Researchers from Wayne State University and the University of Cape Town evaluated 131 babies of mixed race. They interviewed the mothers on their drinking behavior during pregnancy, examined the infants for fetal alcohol syndrome and tested their visual acuity.
The 22 babies who met the criteria for FAS had significantly poorer visual acuity. The researchers say 27 percent of the infants with FAS scored in the lowest percentile for visual acuity, compared to 9 percent of the others.
Half the non-FAS babies with poor visual acuity were born to women who reported binge drinking during pregnancy. The study also found that babies born to women older than 30 who drank were more likely to test badly for visual acuity than babies born to younger women who drank the same amount.
The findings were reported in the Journal of Pediatrics.
