[Thalassemia and macular subretinal neovascularization].

A 12 year old boy who suffered from homozygous beta-thalassemia came to our clinic complaining of progressive deterioration of the visual acuity of the left eye. His visual acuity at this eye was finger counting at a distance of 50 cm. Fundus examination revealed a tortuous course of the fundus vessels, angioid streaks radiating from the region of the disk and a greyish elevated circular lesion measuring about half a disk diameter in the macular area. Fluorescein angiography showed the existence of a subretinal new vascular membrane. The possibility of the development of severe fundus complications in patients with thalassemia syndromes is discussed.