TITLE:
Morning Glory Syndrome: MRI and Fundus Findings—A Case Report
AUTHORS:
Bo Lai, Qiuying Chen, Shuixing Zhang
KEYWORDS:
Morning Glory Syndrome, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Fundus Examination, Imaging Diagnosis
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
26,
2026
ABSTRACT: Morning glory syndrome (MGS) is a rare congenital optic disc developmental anomaly characterized by a funnel-shaped optic disc excavation, peripapillary chorioretinal pigmentary changes, glial tissue overlying the optic disc, and abnormal retinal vascular distribution. We report a case of a 19-year-old female who presented with right esotropia and decreased visual acuity since birth. Ophthalmic examination revealed severely impaired vision in the right eye and absence of grade III binocular visual function. Funduscopic examination showed an enlarged right optic disc with a central funnel-shaped excavated defect, surrounding choroidal atrophy, extensive retinal pigmentary degeneration, and abnormal retinal vessels radiating from the central optic disc tissue toward the peripheral retina. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated microphthalmia of the right eye, a round fluid-signal lesion along the retrobulbar course of the right optic nerve communicating with a posterior defect of the right ocular wall, and adjacent optic nerve atrophy with morphological distortion. These clinical and imaging findings supported the diagnosis of right-eye MGS with sensory esotropia. The patient underwent right medial rectus recession combined with right lateral rectus resection to improve ocular alignment and cosmetic appearance. During 6 months of follow-up, visual acuity remained stable, ocular alignment improved markedly, and no retinal detachment or other ocular complications occurred. This case highlights the value of combining funduscopic examination and MRI in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, initial anatomical assessment, and screening for associated anomalies of MGS.