Ocular findings among thalassemia patients.

Abstract

The study aims at studying the ophthalmologic status in a group of thalassemia patients. A cross-sectional study. Eighty-four thalassemia patients were randomly selected and underwent an ophthalmologic examination. Visual acuity (VA) was affected in 13 patients and retinal pigment epithelial changes were detected in 21 patients. Decrease in VA was found to be significantly associated with type of thalassemia (P < .05) and having splenectomy (P = .05). Retinal pigment epithelium changes, conversely, were significantly associated with type of iron chelation. The occurrence of ophthalmologic problems in Lebanese thalassemic patients is common. These patients, especially those with severe anemia, should be screened for such complications. However, the results were not conclusive on whether these complications are attributable to the anemia, the iron overload, or a side effect of the iron chelating agents.