The Spectrum of Ocular Alterations in Patients with β-Thalassemia Syndromes Suggests a Pathology Similar to Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum – Corrected Proof
Purpose: To determine the prevalence and spectrum of ocular fundus abnormalities in patients with β-thalassemia and to investigate risk factors for their development.Design: Cross-sectional, observational study.Participants: A total of 255 patients with β-thalassemia major (TM) and β-thalassemia intermedia (TI) were consecutively recruited and investigated.Methods: Patients underwent best correct visual acuity, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and fundus photography, including fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and near-infrared reflectance imaging using a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (cSLO). Hematologic parameters were determined, including mean ferritin levels, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, calcium, pre-transfusion hemoglobin, history of splenectomy, and liver iron concentration. Factors associated with the ocular phenotype (Read more...)