Context: Leukemias may present with, or be associated with ocular disorders.
Aims: To determine the rates of ophthalmic disorders in adult patients with leukemia.
Settings and design: A prospective study of ocular disorders in adult patients with leukemia at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria, between July 2004 and June 2008 was conducted.
Methods and materials: The patients were interviewed and examined by the authors and the ocular findings were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using Instat GraphPad v2.05a statistical package software. The means, standard deviation, and the Kruskal-Wallis non parametric test were performed.
Results: Forty-seven patients with leukemias were seen. Nineteen patients (40.4%) had CLL, 14(29.8%) had CML, 9(19.1%) had AML and 5(10.6%) had ALL. Seven patients (14.9%) had ocular disorders due to leukemia. The ocular disorders due to the leukemia were proptosis in two patients (4.3%), retinopathy in one patient (2.1%), conjunctival infiltration in one patient (2.1%), periorbital edema in one patient (2.1%), retinal detachment in one patient (2.1%), and subconjunctival hemorrhage in one patient (2.1%). There was no significant difference in rate of the ocular disorders in the various types of leukemia (Kruskal-Wallis KW= 4.019; corrected for ties. P=0.2595). One patient (2.1%) was blind from bilateral exudative retinal detachment while 1 patient (2.1%) had monocular blindness from mature cataract.
Conclusions: Ophthalmic disorders that are potentially blinding occur in leukemias. Ophthalmic evaluation is needed in these patients for early identification and treatment of blinding conditions.
Keywords: Leukemia; Ocular Disorders; Proptosis; Retinal Detachment.