Eye dominance in patients with unilateral congenital upper limb transverse deficiencies: an observational cohort study

The aim of this study was to explore the pattern of eye dominance in individuals with congenital transverse absences between humeral and metacarpal levels. Eighty-one patients were included with a median age of 25 years (interquartile range 15 to 35; range 6-71). The left-right laterality of limb absence was 27:54. Eighty-one per cent of left-hand-dominant (absent right hand) patients were left-eye dominant (compared with 57% of normal left-handers); 83% of right-hand-dominant (absent left hand) patients were right-eye dominant (compared with 66% normal right-handers). Patients were more likely to be right-eye dominant than left-eye dominant (odds ratio 22.4; 95% confidence interval: 7.0 to 85.8; <i>p < </i>0.001). This study suggests a possible link between eye dominance and unilateral congenital upper limb transverse deficiency which may have implications for future rehabilitation techniques and prothesis design.<b>Level of evidence:</b> III.