Anemia symptoms in eyes
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Common Eye Symptoms of Anemia
Anemia often shows visible symptoms in the eyes. The most frequent sign is conjunctival pallor, where the inside of the lower eyelid or the conjunctiva appears pale instead of its usual healthy pink color. This was observed in about 77% of anemic patients in one study, making it the most common ocular manifestation of anemia Math2024Asiyah2022Purwati2023+5 MORE. Other eye-related symptoms include yellowish discoloration of the eyes (scleral icterus or jaundice), which can occur when anemia is caused by the breakdown of red blood cells, leading to increased bilirubin levels Khalid20195.
Additional Ocular Manifestations
Besides conjunctival pallor, anemia can also cause retinal hemorrhages, which are small areas of bleeding in the retina, seen in about 18% of cases in one study. Posterior pole pallor, a paleness at the back of the eye, was also noted in some patients . These symptoms are more likely to appear in moderate to severe anemia.
Diagnostic Importance of Eye Symptoms
The appearance of pale conjunctiva is not only a symptom but also a useful, non-invasive indicator for screening and diagnosing anemia. Several studies have shown that analyzing images of the eye conjunctiva using machine learning and image processing techniques can accurately predict anemia, with reported accuracies ranging from 82% to 92% Asiyah2022J2024Dimauro2022+3 MORE. This approach is especially valuable in settings where blood tests are not easily accessible.
Eye Symptoms in Special Types of Anemia
In certain types of anemia, such as hemolytic anemia (where red blood cells break down prematurely), yellowing of the eyes (jaundice) is a prominent symptom due to the buildup of bilirubin Khalid20195. This is in addition to the general pallor seen in most anemic conditions.
Conclusion
In summary, the most common eye symptoms of anemia are conjunctival pallor and, in some cases, yellowing of the eyes. More severe anemia can also cause retinal hemorrhages and posterior pole pallor. These visible signs are important for early detection and diagnosis, and new non-invasive technologies are making it easier to identify anemia by examining the eyes. Early recognition of these symptoms can help prompt treatment and prevent complications.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
Pemberian Sari Kacang Hijau Untuk Meningkatkan Kadar Hemoglobin Ibu Hamil Dengan Anemia Ringan
Consuming green bean extract 2x/250ml for 7 days effectively increased hemoglobin levels in a pregnant woman with acute anemia, improving her overall health.
An intelligent non-invasive system for automated diagnosis of anemia exploiting a novel dataset
This paper presents a novel intelligent system using machine learning, trained on eye conjunctiva photos, for noninvasive and cost-effective anemia diagnosis.
A Machine Learning Method to Screen Anemia From Conjunctiva Images Taken by Smartphone.
This study developed a machine learning algorithm that accurately detects anemia in third-world countries using smartphone images of the eye conjunctiva, with a 85% accuracy, 86% precision, and 81% recall rate.
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Comparative Study Between Decision Tree, SVM and KNN to Predict Anaemic Condition
Decision Tree (Coarse) has the highest accuracy in detecting anemia from eye conjunctiva images, with 82.61% of correct detections compared to Linear SVM, Coarse Tree, and Cosine KNN.
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