While Lhx2 mutants are anophthalmic, display hypoplasia of the neocortex and severe anemia, neuroretina specific loss-of-function of Lhx2 causes severe microphthalmia, loss of expression of a subset of retinal progenitor cells (RPC)-specific genes and ectopic expression of hypothalamic genes8. Here, LHX2 is linked to anemia.