[Terson syndrome. Complicated clinical course].

A report is given on three patients who developed spontaneous subarachnoidal bleeding, together with vitreous hemorrhage (Terson's syndrome). In two patients the vitreous hemorrhage was unilateral and showed spontaneous resorption within 15 months. The third patient presented with bilateral vitreous hemorrhage, which first showed slow spontaneous resorption. Five months later, however, secondary vitreous bleeding occurred. Vitrectomy was therefore performed in both eyes. Post-operatively, both eyes developed focal vitreoretinal reproliferations with retinal tears, which led to retinal detachment that was successfully treated by surgery. Because of these observations we can make the following suggestions: in patients presenting with unilateral vitreous hemorrhage one should first watch the spontaneous resorption of the hemorrhage. If there is delayed blood resorption in bilateral vitreous hemorrhage and at the beginning of the hemorrhage, a pars plana vitrectomy should be performed. In one patient an additional ocular symptom peripheral paresis of the facial nerve; a second patient presented with paresis of the oculomotor nerve. Both resolved spontaneously within 15 months.