Papilledema with unusual ocular hemorrhages.

Fourteen patients with posterior pole retinal hemorrhages or prominent subhyaloid and vitreous bleeding were found during examination of 402 consecutive patients with papilledema (4%). Subhyaloid and vitreous hemorrhage generally result from forward dissection of severe peripapillary hemorrhage, whereas scattered posterior pole hemorrhages probably represent central retinal vein compromise from optic disc swelling. The bilaterality and severity of papilledema, as well as the clinical course, distinguish these patients from those with venous hemorrhages in association with subarachnoid bleeding or primary central retinal vein occlusion or inflammation.