ep·i·can·thic fold

(ĕp′ĭ-kăn′thĭk) or ep·i·can·thal fold (-thəl)

A fold of skin of the upper eyelid that partially covers the inner corner of the eye. Also called epicanthus.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

epicanthic fold - a vertical fold of skin over the nasal canthus; normal for Mongolian peoples; sometimes occurs in Down's syndrome

epicanthus

eye, oculus, optic - the organ of sight

plica, fold - a folded part (as in skin or muscle)

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Some say the epicanthic fold that causes almond-shaped eyes in east and central Asian populations evolved to protect the eye from extreme weather conditions or high levels of ultra-violet light.

Why is the sun yellow? ...and other burning questions you may want the answers to

protruding tongue, small low set ears, upward slanted eyes with epicanthic fold, short neck, short and broad hands, transverse single palmar crease, clinodactyly, a large space between toes (sandal gap), hypotonia and delayed milestones.

Frequency and pattern of congenital heart defects in children with Down's syndrome

"I have a glossy black-and-white photograph of the painting," Lefkovitz tells us, "and when I look at this dapper grandfather I see something of my uncle' and something Asian, too, for the eyes have a slight epicanthic fold." She notes that the inheritances of children ten of Holocaust survivors "is loss an memory, all of it as overdetermined and refracted by time as the photograph of the painting of the photograph of my grandfather."

Mirror images

Indeed, it was the distinctive appearance and in particular the epicanthic fold that contributed to the identification of Down syndrome by Langdon Down (1866) and his association of people with Down syndrome with the 'Mongoloid race.' [4] Down syndrome is diagnosed at birth and the facial characteristics means the syndrome is easily identifiable to anyone the child comes into contact with from an early age.

CLINICAL PROFILE OF DOWN SYNDROME IN CHILDREN LESS THAN 14 YEARS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL