The Associations of Conjunctival Vasculature and Serum Hemoglobin in the Moderate Anemia

Purposes : This study was conducted to determine the correlation of anemia and conjunctival vasculature on slit lamp biomicroscopy. Methods : Through random sampling, 118 subjects who were either inpatients or outpatients in the hematology department were selected for examination. Palpebral conjunctival hue (PCH) and bulbar conjunctival blood column (BCBC) were observed by a single physician to whom the diagnosis and hemoglobin level of the patient were strictly masked. Three different threshold levels were defined for anemia : 2.9 mg/dl. Sensitivity of the BCBC and PCH for anemia was 86% and 41%, respectively. Specificity of BCBC improved with increasing hemoglobin threshold level for anemia. BCBC was significantly associated only with anemia of hemoglobin