Spontaneous Bilateral Hyphema in a Patient With Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

The aim of this case report is to present an unusual case of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) with bilateral spontaneous hyphema. It refers to an 82-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with acute unilateral vision loss. The patient’s medical history includes arterial hypertension, hypothyroidism, and uneventful bilateral cataract surgery. Bilateral anterior chamber hyphema was noted on gonioscopy, along with unilateral corneal edema. Hematology workup set the diagnosis of ITP. The cause of spontaneous bleeding in ITP patients is explained by the "second hit" hypothesis, suggesting that a secondary factor such as high blood pressure or minor trauma is necessary to cause rupture to a vessel’s wall, which is already affected by the low platelet counts. The authors propose that, in this patient, the "second hit" was likely due to basement membrane alterations caused by arterial hypertension. The rarity of bilateral spontaneous hyphema cases and possible etiologies are emphasized.