Bilateral vitreous hemorrhages in an infant with low fibrinogen levels

The finding of retinal or vitreous hemorrhage in a child under age 3 years may cause significant controversy with regard to the etiology, because it r aises the suspicion of nonaccidental injury. Blood dyscrasias have been doc umented to cause retinal and vitreous hemorrhages in adults and children, b ut they have rarely been reported to be the cause of retinal hemorrhages in neonates. We report on a patient with a low plasma fibrinogen level who had bilateral retinal hemorrhage that proceeded to vitreous hemorrhage. This subtle abno rmality of the blood clotting cascade caused significant retinal and vitreo us hemorrhage in a child without risk factors for abuse.