The significance of intraocular hemorrhages due to subarachnoid hemorrhage.

A retrospective study of 320 patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage revealed a 20.8% incidence of intraocular hemorrhages. While diagnostically helpful, intraocular hemorrhages also were prognostically significant. The overall patient mortality was 31.6%. In those with intraocular hemorrhages the mortality was 53.6% compared to 19.7% in those without intraocular hemorrhages. Fifty-eight percent with bilateral intraocular hemorrhages died versus 48% with unilateral hemorrhages. Vitreous hemorrhage, though infrequent, may be a major complication in survivors of subarachnoid hemorrhage.