Sickle-Cell Hemoglobin and Its Relation to Fundus Abnormality

In 1956 Hannon¹presented a classic paper entitled Vitreous Hemorrhages Associated With Sickle Cell Hemoglobin C Disease. He stated "the peculiar retinopathy and vitreous hemorrhage occurs almost always in the sickle cell hemoglobin C variety." In 1957 Kennedy and Cope²reported a case of a patient with sickle-cell trait who had had a vitreous hemorrhage, and in 1958 Isbey et al³added four others. In 1959 Lieb and associates⁴presented a paper on sickle-cell retinopathy in which they stated "according to our findings, patients with SS hemoglobin in general give evidence of similar ocular pathology to those with sickle-cell hemoglobin C diseases. Patients with SA demonstrate minor fundus changes or none at all." In light of these reports, this subject assumes certain conflicting and controversial aspects. It is because of this that the present study was undertaken in an attempt to clarify the relationship of sickle