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.