Ocular complications in thalassemia major patients treated with deferoxamine: a hospital-based, cross-sectional study

Background & Aims: β-thalassemia is a severe hereditary disorder caused by defective globin synthesis. Patients suffering from β-thalassemia major require regular blood transfusion therapy to survive. Sight-threatening ocular abnormalities are quite common among these patients. This study was planned to evaluate the prevalence of ocular complications in multi-transfused patients with β-thalassemia who have been receiving deferoxamine. Materials & Methods: Thirty thalassemic patients receiving deferoxamine were studied in this cross-sectional descriptive study. All eligible subjects underwent an ophthalmologic examination, including the Humphrey visual field test, measurement of central corneal thickness (CCT), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and central macular thickness (CMT). Results: Visual field defects were the most prevalent ocular abnormalities, observed in 50% of the studied subjects. Other ocular changes were as follows: bilateral cortical cataract (10%), macular pigmentary stippling (6.7%), punctate cortical opacity (3.3%), nuclear sclerosis cataract (3.3%), and macular pigmentary mottling (3.3%). Conclusion: The occurrence of ocular problems is common among thalassemic patients which necessitates long-term follow-up and regular ophthalmologic examination for these patients.