Traction retinal detachment following vitreoretinal hemorrhage in a case of aplastic anemia

Purpose: To report a case of severe aplastic anemia who developed traction retinal detachment following persistent vitreoretinal hemorrhage. Case: A 15-year-old male noted sudden visual impairment in both eyes. He was reportedly diagnosed with retinal and preretinal hemorrhage in both eyes. He was referred to us for severe aplastic anemia with pancytopenia. Findings and Clinical Course: Corrected visual acuity was 0.7 right and counting fingers left. The right eye showed multiple retinal hemorrhage with serous retinal detachment in the macular area. The left eye showed massive preretinal and subretinal hemorrhage in the posterior fundus area. Systemic treatment for anemia was followed by improvement of hemorrhage in the right eye and by persistent vitreous opacity in the left. The left eye showed recurrence of vitreous hemorrhage followed by traction retinal detachment 5 months after his initial visit. The left eye was treated by vitreous surgery. As intraoperative finding, ring-shaped traction retinal detachment was present along the vascular arcades. Retinal detachment recurred 2 months later and was treated by vitreous surgery. The retina became reattached. Visual acuity has stabilized with 1.2 right and 0.2 left twenty months after his initial visit. Conclusion: Traction retinal detachment developed following persistent preretinal hemorrhage as complication of aplastic anemia in the present case. Co-operation with hematologists enabled early vitreous surgery with favorable visual outcome.