Multiple retinal vein occlusions in essential thrombocythemia.

Abstract

To report the ophthalmoscopic and angiographic evidence of both temporally and spatially independent multiple occlusions of the retinal veins in a patient with essential thrombocythemia. Observational case report. Ophthalmic examinations, including fluorescein fundus angiogram, were performed on a 77-year-old male, who was found to have essential thrombocythemia. An acute impending central retinal vein occlusion in the left eye was diagnosed with coexisting old retinal vein occlusions evidenced by white vessels and capillary nonperfusion in both eyes. Peripheral retinal capillary dropout was also found angiographically in the right eye. Bilateral multiple occlusions of retinal veins in the present case suggest a prothrombotic tendency in retinal circulation in essential thrombocythemia.