Hypertension
may affect the retinal vasculature in multiple ways. The most common findings seen are those of inter-retinal
hemorrhages, both *flame-shaped and dot and blot hemorrhages (#22018).
As the degree of hypertension increases, leakage of lipid from the
vessels often leads to a hard exudate(#22019).
With more severe hypertensive retinopathy, the retina may show
signs of ischemia which are manifest as cotton wool spots or cytoid
bodies(#22021). Finally,
malignant hypertension may have all the previously mentioned findings will
the addition of papilledema.
Other views
of retinal hemorrhage due to hypertension can be seen (#22790, #22793,
#22796).
*In
addition to hypertension, flame-shaped hemorrhages can be seen in anemia
and other blood dyscrasias (#5935).
Reduplication
of elastica in a retinal arteriole (#23109) and retinal exudate (#23112)
can also be seen.
