[Ocular function in beta-thalassemia patients]

The eyes were examined in 118 inpatients with various thalassemia forms. The examinations included viso- and perimetry, biomicro- and ophthalmoscopy, fluorescent angiography of the fundus oculi and retinophotography. Patients with thalassemia were found to develop a variety of changes in the eye, whose manifestations depended on the length and severity of the underlying disease and on the treatment administered. Changes in the conjunctival and retinal vessels develop as early as in the initial stages of thalassemia, presenting as twisting, dilatation, and irregular calibre of the veins, dilatation of the arteries and reduction of their light reflex. Later dystrophic and atrophic changes develop: obliteration of the iris pattern and thinning of its peripheral zone, deterioration of blood circulation in the central retinal zone. Multiple blood transfusions and hemosiderosis lead to the development of hyperpigmentation of the limb, sclera, fundus oculi and appearance of retinal angioid strips. These findings should be taken into consideration when assessing the ocular status of thalassemia patients and defining the indications for treatment for angiopathic and dystrophic processes in the eye.