Sickle cell retinopathy: A literature review

Abstract

Hemoglobinopathies are a group of hereditary diseases that cause quantitative or qualitative changes in the shape, function or synthesis of hemoglobin. One of the most common is sickle cell anemia, which, due to sickling of erythrocytes, causes vaso-occlusive phenomena. Among the possible ocular manifestations, the most representative is retinopathy, which can lead to blindness if left untreated. Therefore, periodic ophthalmologic monitoring of these patients is important for early diagnosis and adequate therapeutic management, which can be done localy by treating the lesions in the eyes, or systemically.