Retinal involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus is dominated by a microangiopathy of unknown aetiology, with occlusive consequences. Although cases of severe retinal ischaemia have been recently described, from a statistic point of view, the occlusive phenomena seem to have declined over the last decades, under the influence of a better therapy and follow-up of the disease. The relatively high incidence of papilloedema and the fact that this oedema might be unilateral or asymptomatic are pointed out. The importance of ophthalmic examination in patients with SLE-like syndromes or in seronegative cases of SLE is revealed. Other ocular manifestation of the disease are reviewed.