Ocular Manifestations in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure

ABSTRACT

Many ocular findings have been shown in patients with chronic renal failure. There has been no systematic study on ocular manifestations in patients with chronic renal failure. The medical records of 349 patients with chronic renal failure, who were referred to ohthalmologic department, were reviewed. Of 349 patients, 109 were renal transplanted patients, 118 were hemodialysis, and 122 were CAPD. Sixty-five % were male, 35% were female, and their mean age was 42 years old. For renal transplanted patients, 47% had a visual acuity of 1.0 or better, while 6% had worse than finger counting. Nineteen % and 15% of hemodialysis, and 19% and 24% of CAPD patients had a visual acuity of 1.0 or better and worse than finger counting, respectively. Hypertension was the most common associated systemic disease. Primary causes of renal failure were chronic glomerulonephritis(44.4%), diabetic nephropathy(17.2%), hypertensive nephropathy(4.6%), and CRF NOS(29.5%). Hypertensive retinopathy(45.6%) was the most common ocular manifestation of all patients with renal failure. Others were cataract, diabetic retinopathy, ischemic optic neuropathy and retinal detachment. These results suggest that ocular complications are common in patients with chronic renal failure and therefore, close follow up has to be performed after renal transplantation and during dialysis.