[Ocular signs of primary hyperoxaluria type I].

Purpose: To report the results of ophthalmological examination of 14 patients with primary oxalosis of type I, and to appreciate the diagnostic value of these signs.

Material And Methods: Fourteen patients, 7 girls and 7 boys with an average age of 8-35 years (3 months - 15 years). Ten patients had renal failure, 2 died without dialysis and eight were treated with dialysis; 5 out of 8 had hemodialysis and the duration of this treatment varied between 3 months and 3.5 years, 3 out of 8 had peritoneal dialysis.

Results: Visual acuity was 10/10 in 11 cases and we noted a vision of 5/10 in one eye in one case. Ocular fundus examination was normal in 7 cases. In 5 cases, it showed numerous minute white round flecks at the posterior pole and near the retinal vessels which probably correspond to deposition of calcium oxalate crystals. In one case we found a diffuse retinal pigment atrophy and in another case a sectorial papillar atrophy without loss of vision.

Conclusion: This flecked retinopathy can occur before hemodialysis or after a few months or years of hemodialysis. There is no correlation between duration of dialysis and ocular lesions.