Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 1997 Mar;123(3):418-20.
doi: 10.1016/s0002-9394(14)70149-7.

High-altitude retinopathy

G E Lang  1 , G B Kuba
Affiliations
Case Reports

High-altitude retinopathy

G E Lang et al. Am J Ophthalmol. 1997 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: To report a patient with high-altitude retinopathy.

Methods: A 30-year-old man with high-altitude retinopathy was examined and treated.

Results: After spending 2 weeks at an altitude of 7,000 meters and then descending to sea level, the patient's visual acuity was RE, 20/20 and LE, 20/50. Intraretinal hemorrhages in both eyes and a scotoma in the left eye were found. Blood cell count was normal, but hematocrit had increased to 53%. The patient was treated with isovolemic hemodilution, pentoxifylline, and aspirin, which reduced hematocrit to 41%. Visual acuity and visual field returned to normal, and intraretinal hemorrhages resolved.

Conclusions: High-altitude hemoconcentration should be treated in patients with high-altitude retinopathy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources