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Arch Dermatol. 2004;140:748-750.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Clinical consternation occurs when characteristic vesiculobullous eruptions of incontinentia pigmenti (IP) appear neonatally. These distressing lesions almost never lead to serious long-term morbidity, although they often result in time-consuming, expensive, and typically fruitless diagnostic evaluations in an attempt to diagnose other diseases.

Blindness and psychomotor retardation, on the other hand, constitute the most serious acute and chronic complications of this disease^1-24 (Figure 1). When they occur, they are tragedies for the patients as well as for their families. Ideally, therefore, these complications should be sought assiduously and, if possible, treated quickly, as soon as the diagnosis of IP is established. Because babies obviously cannot complain of reduced vision or of impaired cerebral function, a high index of suspicion by attending clinicians is warranted. Urgent consultations with ophthalmic and neurologic subspecialists (specifically, retinologists and pediatric neurologists) are often needed, both for diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, not all patients have . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Morton F. Goldberg, MD
Wilmer Eye Institute
Woods 276, Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 N Wolfe St
Baltimore, MD 21287-9128
(e-mail: mgoldbrg@jhmi.edu)