Researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center have conducted a study to uncover more about sickle cell disease and its impact on vision in children. They found one in three children with sickle cell disease had retinopathy, damage to the retina because of disease.
Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that blocks blood flow because the cells become crescent or sickle shaped and do not move easily, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The blockage in blood flow can lead to vision problems and other health issues.
“The red blood cell tends to become a sickle shape instead of a disc shape. Those cells aren’t very flexible. Rather than passing through the small blood vessels in different organ systems, in this case we’re talking about the eye, they will cause blockages and can cause bleeding,” said Mary Ellen Hoehn, MD, professor in the UT Health Science Center College of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology. “If there are enough blockages of those blood vessels, then you have areas of the retina that aren’t getting the oxygen and the nourishment that they need. New, abnormal blood vessels can grow which can bleed and cause retinal detachment.”
With the lack of clarity in research for treating adults with sickle cell retinopathy, Dr. Hoehn sought to find the answers on the best treatments for children with sickle cell retinopathy. Dr. Hoehn is the lead author of the study, “Evaluation of Pediatric Patients with Sickle Cell Retinopathy Enrolled in a Cohort Study at One of the Largest Sickle Cell Programs in the Country.” Dr. Hoehn and Barbara Smith, MD, resident in the Department of Ophthalmology, presented the research during the 127th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). The study is currently in process for publication.
Read more at our UTHSC news site.