Retinoblastoma referral patterns in Saudi Arabia

The purpose of this study was to review the patterns of referral and presentation of patients with retinoblastoma in Saudi Arabia from 1983-1994. Retinoblastoma represents a particularly high volume at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and the Hospital's Retinoblastoma Registry provided relevant data. Records of 257 registered patients were analyzed. Of these, 112 were bilateral whereas 145 were unilateral, resulting in a total of 369 eyes. Referral diagnosis accuracy was high, 75% of referring physicians ranking retinoblastoma at the top of their differential diagnosis. Delay in referral was found to average 9.4 weeks. However, 49.4% of eyes were staged at Reese-Ellsworth Stage V at presentation. Significantly, the number of patients presenting with extraocular disease fell from 22.8% (1983-1988) to 12.3% (1989-1994), highlighting increasing awareness of retinoblastoma and availability of services in Saudi Arabia.