Anemia and diabetic retinopathy.

Three patients (a 44-year-old woman, a 65-year-old man, and a 39-year-old woman) who had had diabetes mellitus for an average of 17 years had good vision and mild to moderate background diabetic retinopathy. These patients developed severe iron deficiency anemia from varying causes and their conditions rapidly progressed to a severe proliferative phase that necessitated panretinal photocoagulation and pars plana vitrectomy in two cases.