Abstract
The eyelids of about two hundred children and adults were examined including both soxes, living in a rural suburb of Tokyo.
The following three lid-fold regions were used as criteria for the crassification of eyelid types: the Ranafalte, which is often termed the mongolian fold or epicanthus; the Deckfalte, or median fold which either runs above and somewhat parallel to the free edge of the upper eyelid, so-called doubl fold, or covers it entirely, so-called single fold ; and the Lateralfalte, or external fold of the upper eyelid of senile individuals.
Type A-B is a single fold with a marked Ranafalte, although type B appears double in a downward glancing position, type C-D is double, and type E-F is single or double and characterized by a slight Randfalte and a somewhat well-developed Lateralfalte, which may be identified as type F (Fig. 1).
At the sub-adult period, type A-B is dominant, while type C-D has its highest frequencies at the age thirty period; and older persons gradually develope to type E-F (Table 1, 2; Fig. 2). It may be said then that there are striking age changes in the eyelid, and related to this is the fact that the recurrence of the same types as between parent and child is only infrequently observed (Table. 3).
Moreover, the fact that the interocular-nose breadth index decreases throughtout life, recalls the age decline sequences of the Ranalfalte, (Table 5;
Fig. 3). This report is merely preliminary and will be followed by further studies which will be completed in due course.
