ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS BIETTIS CRYSTALLINE DYSTROPHY

Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy refers to a rare disorder in which crys talline deposits are observed in all layers of the retina and in some cases associated with limbal corneal crystalls. The authors report on the clinical aspects of this disease in eight patients that were follo wed between 2 and 12 years. The authors also performed electron micros copic studies on the conjunctival biopsy specimens and the circulating lymphocytes from four of the patients and demonstrated inclusions and cleftlike spaces within the cytoplasm and nuclei of the fibroblasts a nd within the cytoplasm of the lymphocytes. These findings would sugge st that Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy may be related to a systemic di sorder.