[Ophthalmologic manifestations in patients under chronic hemodialysis]

Ocular modifications were assessed in a prospective study carried out on 61 chronically hemodialyzed patients. Their mean age was 39.6 years (range: 7-73 yr) and the mean duration of dialysis was 30.5 months. The loss of visual acuity was especially associated with cataracts or refractive disorders. Corneal-conjunctival calcifications were found in 36% of the patients and were statistically significantly correlated with the duration of hemodialysis. Eyeground modifications were observed in 36% of the subjects; 21.3% of them were hypertensive retinopathies. Cataracts were less common (5%) than small calcifications in the lens (24.5%). Conjunctival biopsies taken from two patients confirmed the presence of calcium salt deposits under the conjunctival epithelium.