Occurrence and Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in Hemochromatosis

In a study of retinal changes in forty-nine patients with hemochromatosis, eleven showed evidence of diabetic retinopathy by ophthalmoscopy and/or fluorescein angiography. Retinopathy was found in six of the ten patients with diabetes for ten or more years, an incidence comparable to that in diabetes mellitus. The development of retinopathy, previously regarded as rare, may be related to the longer survival of patients with hemochromatosis as a result of venesection therapy.