Ocular involvement in leukemia--a study of 288 cases

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Hematology
• Oncology

Background:

• Leukemia diagnosis involves systemic evaluation.
• Ocular manifestations of leukemia are not fully characterized.
• Early detection of eye changes can impact patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and types of ocular lesions in newly diagnosed leukemia patients.
• To determine if ocular changes differ between leukemia subtypes, age groups, or presence of symptoms.
• To assess the utility of routine eye examinations at diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Examined 288 newly diagnosed leukemia patients (adults and children) within 2 days of diagnosis, before chemotherapy.
• Assessed for ocular lesions including retinal vascular changes, ocular tissue infiltration, and neuro-ophthalmic signs.
• Correlated findings with leukemia type (acute/chronic, myeloid/lymphoid) and patient demographics.

Main Results:

• Ocular lesions were present in 35.4% of patients.
• Retinal vascular changes were the most common (31.6%).
• Eye changes were more frequent in adults (49.1%) and myeloid leukemia (41.0%) compared to children and lymphoid leukemia, respectively.
• Only 10% of patients had presenting eye symptoms.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of leukemia patients have ocular lesions at diagnosis, often asymptomatic.
• Routine ophthalmological evaluation is recommended for all leukemia patients at initial diagnosis.
• Identifying ocular involvement early can aid in comprehensive leukemia management.