Intraocular Lesions Associated with Sickle-Cell Disease

Recurrent intraocular hemorrhage in young adults was first described by Eales, in 1880. He reported five cases in men between 14 and 29 years of age with recurrent hemorrhages in the retina adjacent to the veins and in the vitreous. He thought that constipation and epistaxis were etiological factors. Since, that time, numerous causes have been suggested for this condition and have included calcium deficiency with diminished parathyroid secretion,2thromboangiitis obliterans,3septic foci,4and tuberculosis.5 In 1930 Cook6discussed a patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage and sickle-cell anemia in whom a retinal hemorrhage was also noted. In 1952, Edington and Sarkies7reported two patients with sickle-cell anemia and retinal microaneurysms; one of these patients had a vitreous hemorrhage. In the year 1950, Henderson8published 54 cases of sickle-cell anemia in which retinal hemorrhage was a presenting sign or symptom. In 1937, Harden9reported