Role of the neural crest in anterior segment development and disease

Certain eye and associated systemic developmental anomalies are apparently related by virtue of a common neural crest origin. The development of the anterior segment is extremely complex and is dependent upon the presence or absence of certain local factors (including extracellular matrices and glycoproteins), inductors, receptors, and specific time sequencing. Understanding anterior segment anomalies and their systemic associations requires an understanding of neural crest proliferation and migration patterns; and they may be unified under the designation of neurocristopathies. Goldenhar's syndrome, not previously considered a neurocristopathy, may be considered one on the basis of the relationship between clinical findings and neural crest embryology.