SUMMARY
Ophthalmic examinations were performed on 50 children (aged 9 months-14 years) with hemoglobinapathies. Venous tortuosity was pre sent in 24% of the children, black sunburst lesions were seen in 12% of the cases. Salmon-patch hemorrhages ocured in 4%, arteriolar obliteration and proliferative retinopathy were seen in only one case and this palient subsequently underwent a preventive laser treatment. The prevalence of the retina lesions was as sociated to the increasing of the age of the patient. This work emphasizes the importance of the ophthalmic examination beginning at the age of 10 years old towards to the early detection and imediate treatment of the proliferative phase which some times may cause blindness.