| Two patients with adolescent onset glaucoma associated with sturge-weber syndrome have been presented. Both patients were successfully treated with ab externo trabeculectomy. This procedure is suggested as an additional means for controlling the late onset glaucoma associated with the syndrome without provoking additional complications or deterioration. Early treatment is emphasized before the irreversible changes of chronic glaucoma become manifest. ( info) |
2/321. The VEP and ERG in a young infant with cystic fibrosis. A case report. We report a case of an infant with cystic fibrosis in whom VEP and scotopic ERG abnormalities were found. The underlying cause of these findings, which could not be determined within the limitations of this study, may be related to dietary deficiencies. ( info) |
3/321. Eccentric viewing training. Eccentric viewing training seeks to train subjects to utilize a paramacular area of the retina for seeing when the macular area is damaged. The present paper demonstrates two techniques for training eccentric viewing, as well as a method for measuring impovement in the use of the paramacular area. Both techniques are inexpensive, can be administered by a technician, and do not require an extensive training period. However, there are indications the two techniques are not comparable in effectiveness. ( info) |
4/321. On the visual disturbances associated with massive basal aneurysms. When massive basal aneurysms compromise the anterior visual pathways the resulting disturbances of vision are diverse and a firm clinical diagnosis is difficult. Because of the rarity of the condition, a critical analysis of the visual defects was made in five personally studied patients with large anterior basal aneurysms in an effort to clarify the clinical features of the disorder. These observations were related to those reported in larger series of patients by Jefferson and Bull. This study gives support to the opinion that the commonest visual defect seen with massive basal aneurysms is impairment of visual acuity, followed next in frequency by bitemporal hemianopia, and then by junction scotoma. ( info) |
5/321. Incongruous homonymous hemianopic scotoma. We report a patient presenting with incongruous homonymous hemianopic scotoma due to infarction in the territory of the lateral posterior choroidal artery. Imaging studies showed that the patient had a fresh infarct in the lateral geniculate body causing this unusual visual field defect. ( info) |
6/321. Laser pointer maculopathy. PURPOSE: To report a case of macular damage from a laser pointer. METHOD: Case report. A 19-year-old woman had an acute reduction of visual acuity in the right eye after deliberately staring into a commercial class 2 laser pointer for approximately 10 seconds. RESULTS: The patient's best-corrected visual acuity was RE: 20/40, and she had two small pericentral scotomata, as well as a hypopigmented ring-shaped lesion in the fovea. Within 8 weeks, her visual acuity improved to 20/20 and visual field returned to normal, but a subjective relative decrease in brightness of objects viewed by the right eye was apparent. Retinal pigment epithelial abnormality persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Commercial laser pointers, commonly used for teaching and entertainment purposes, may cause notable macular damage if abused. Morphologically, this may manifest as foveal retinal pigment epithelial disturbance. ( info) |
7/321. Dark spots in late-phase indocyanine green angiographic studies in a patient with presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome. PURPOSE: We analyzed indocyanine green (ICG) angiograms in a patient with presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS) complaining about "seeing spots" and decreased visual acuity in order to identify the pathologic process. patients AND methods: A 30-year-old caucasian man with clinical signs of POHS who had previously undergone laser photocoagulation for secondary choroidal neovascularization developed visual disturbances primarily in his temporal visual field. We performed fundus photography, fluorescein angiography and ICG angiography before, during and after the episode of visual disturbance. ICG angiographic findings were correlated to fundus photographs and fluorescein angiograms. RESULTS: Fundus examination, fluorescein angiograms and early-phase ICG angiograms were unremarkable at all time points. However, during the phase of visual disturbance, late-phase ICG angiographic study revealed hypofluorescent lesions in the area representing the visual disturbances. At 1 week follow-up, these hypofluorescent lesions were reduced in size and number; at 6 months follow-up they had completely resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Late-phase ICG angiographic study can provide additional information in inflammatory retinal disease by virtue of identifying areas of choroidal alterations while standard diagnostic examination remain unremarkable. ( info) |
8/321. Conservative management of documented neuroretinitis in cat scratch disease associated with bartonella henselae infection. BACKGROUND: bartonella henselae has been identified as the causative agent of the neuroretinitis associated with cat scratch disease (CSD). Immunofluorescent antibody tests with good sensitivity and specificity are available to aid in diagnosis. Despite diagnostic advances, optimal management remains controversial. We present a case of documented B. henselae macular neuroretinitis managed without antibiotics and discuss antibiotic use in this condition. methods: We examined a young woman with macular neuroretinitis and established a diagnosis of CSD. Management consisted of a review of the literature, followed by educating her about the condition and close observation. We documented the course of her disease. RESULTS: We diagnosed neuroretinitis associated with B. henselae infection based on immunofluorescent antibody titres and clinical presentation. Our patient's neuroretinitis resolved promptly without antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Macular neuroretinitis in CSD can be satisfactorily diagnosed with the use of fluorescent antibodies in the appropriate clinical setting. Optimal treatment for the disease has not been established and observation combined with patient education remains an appropriate option. The self-limited nature of the disease implies that treatment studies not using controls must be interpreted with great caution. Adverse drug reactions and other iatrogenic complications can be reduced by limiting antibiotic use in settings where a meaningful treatment benefit has not been established. ( info) |
9/321. Visual field change in eyes with retinal pigment epithelial tear. PURPOSE: To study the effects of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) deprivation on retinal sensitivity with serial automated static perimetry in cases of RPE tear involving the foveal area. methods: Two eyes with a tear of the RPE were diagnosed as such on biomicroscopic and fluorescein angiographic examination. Static perimetry was performed in the follow-up study with the Humphrey field analyzer central 10-2 program. RESULTS: The first patient showed a dense scotoma corresponding to a defect in the RPE, which showed mild deterioration throughout the follow-up period from 2-11 weeks after the development of RPE tear. In contrast, the second patient showed preserved visual acuity and an absence of central visual field defects, despite an apparently denuded bruch membrane involving the fovea during 8-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Apparent RPE defect in eyes with RPE tears may or may not be associated with severe visual field defects. The pathophysiology of the disease should be studied, considering these perimetric findings. ( info) |
10/321. The "thin man" phenomenon: a sign of cortical plasticity following inferior homonymous paracentral scotomas. AIM: To investigate an image distortion, experienced by patients with homonymous paracentral scotomas. methods: Two consecutive patients with right inferior homonymous paracentral scotomas resulting from ischaemic brain insults were examined. Neuro-ophthalmological examination included tangent screen and Amsler grid evaluation. In addition, the patients were asked to describe a figure showing two vertical lines, identical in length and symmetrically located on either side of a fixation point. This figure was presented in such a way that when the subject looked at the fixation point the right line crossed the scotoma. Finally, the patients were asked whether, when looking at the face of an interlocutor, both sides of the body looked the same. RESULTS: In both patients field defects were markedly smaller when delineated with Amsler grids than using a tangent screen. With the parallel line test, the right line appeared uninterrupted in patient 1, whereas in patient 2 it looked slightly blurred in a two degree long segment corresponding to the middle of the scotoma. To both subjects the right line appeared shorter than the left line. Finally both subjects indicated that, after steadily fixating their interlocutor's face or neck for 5-10 seconds, the left shoulder appeared narrower than the right one, which made him look surprisingly thin. This perceptual alteration was called the "thin man" phenomenon. CONCLUSIONS: Paracentral homonymous scotomas can be associated with perceptual completion and shape distortion, owing to apparent displacement of images adjacent to the scotoma towards the field defect. Occurrence of such a perceptual change should alert one to the possibility of paracentral homonymous scotomas, which often go undetected when using routine visual field testing procedures. ( info) |