AAO: Research Highlights Vision Issues Seen in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Nov. 9, 2023 -- For pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), ophthalmologic complications include nonproliferative retinopathy (NPR) and proliferative retinopathy (PR), which occur in 33 and 6 percent, respectively, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, held from Nov. 3 to 6 in San Francisco.
Barbara Smith, M.D., and Mary Ellen Hoehn, M.D., from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, describe ophthalmologic manifestations among pediatric patients with SCD who had a dilated eye exam from October 2010 to September 2022. A total of 652 patients were included who underwent eye exams during 2,240 visits.
The researchers found that 33 percent of the patients had NPR and 6 percent had PR. Panretinal photocoagulation was received by 33 eyes, most commonly for PR stage 3 (43 percent). Five eyes, all with PR, received intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy. Retinal detachment and retinal artery occlusion occurred in two patients each. Following complications from SCD, vision loss (final best corrected visual acuity 20/60) was seen in one patient with a central retinal artery occlusion.
"Our data underscores the need for patients -- including pediatric patients -- with sickle cell disease to get routine ophthalmic screenings along with appropriate systemic and ophthalmic treatment," Hoehn said in a statement.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted November 2023
Read this next
Study Identifies Factors Associated With Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy
MONDAY, May 13, 2024 -- Factors associated with an increased risk for hydroxychloroquine retinopathy have been identified and include female sex, older age, and chronic kidney...
AI Shows Good Clinical Knowledge, Reasoning for Eye Issues
FRIDAY, April 26, 2024 -- Large language models (LLMs) are approaching expert-level knowledge and reasoning skills in ophthalmology, according to a study published online April 17...
Crude Sickle Cell Birth Prevalence 28.54 per 10,000 in Non-Hispanic Blacks
MONDAY, April 1, 2024 -- The crude sickle cell disease (SCD) birth prevalence is 28.54 per 10,000 non-Hispanic Black newborns, according to research published in the March 28...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.