[Retinochoroidal circulatory disturbances and blood component abnormalities]

The recent analysis of blood components has revealed that retinochoroidal circulation may be disturbed in patients with abnormalities of blood components. These blood abnormalities include iron deficiency anemia with or without thrombocytosis, dysplasminogenia, von Willebrand's disease, protein S deficiency, protein C deficiency, and abnormal platelet function. The ophthalmoscopic findings in these disorders include retinal vein occlusion, retinal artery occlusion, choroidal circulatory disturbance, and vitreoretinal hemorrhage. The incidence of blood component abnormalities is high in young patients who rarely have systemic hypertension or arterial sclerosis. We review these blood disorders and emphasize the importance of blood analysis in the patients with retinochoroidal circulatory disturbances.