Purpose: To report ocular complications of a persistent hyaloid artery.
Methods: We studied eight patients with persistent hyaloid artery.
Results: Seven patients showed strabismus and very low visual acuity (< or = 0.12) of one eye. Despite correction of refractive errors, cataract surgery and occlusion therapy for amblyopia, visual acuity had not improved in these cases. Four patients showed nystagmus. Four had progression of unilateral cataract. In two cases, a 24-year-old women and a 4-months-old boy, a vitreous haemorrhage had occurred due to rupture of a hyaloid artery, in the woman's case probably due to a spontaneous posterior vitreous detachment.
Conclusion: A persistent hyaloid artery may be associated with strabismus, cataract, amblyopia and nystagmus. Despite amblyopia treatment, the prognosis of visual acuity of the involved eye is unfavourable. A persistent hyaloid artery may cause vitreous haemorrhage.