title: The prevalence of retinal and optical coherence tomography findings in preeclamptic women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate retinal and optical coherence tomography findings and establish their prevalence in preeclamptic women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven preeclamptic women who underwent clinical examinations with both slit-lamp biomicroscopy and optical coherence tomography were prospectively studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three of the 4 women (14.8%) identified by clinical examinations as having retinal findings related to preeclampsia had visual disturbances. Optical coherence tomography revealed retinal pathology in 2 women (7.4%) consisting of retinal edema, subretinal fluid, photoreceptors irregularities, and lesions at the retinal pigment epithelium level (Elschnig spots). The mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was significantly higher in women with pathologic funduscopic findings (P = 0.009) than in women with normal eye examinations. All women with ocular findings had severe preeclampsia and higher systolic blood pressure than women without ocular findings (P = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of retinal involvement is high in severe preeclampsia and low in asymptomatic preeclampsia. Preeclamptic women diagnosed as having ocular involvement should be evaluated and monitored by optical coherence tomography, provided that their systemic condition allows it. Findings of retinal nerve fiber layer thickening in these women may indicate occult central nervous system involvement.
authors.affiliation: Departments of *Ophthalmology, and †Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Meira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neudorfer
authors.forename: Oriel
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Spierer
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goder
authors.forename: Hadas
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Sarit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barak
authors.forename: Adiel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barak
authors.forename: Isca
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Asher-Landsberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology; D066167:Slit Lamp; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence