Background: Opsoclonus is a rare disorder characterized by conjugate multidirectional, horizontal, vertical, and torsional saccadic oscillations, without intersaccadic interval, resulting from dysfunction within complex neuronal pathways in the brainstem and cerebellum. While most cases of opsoclonus are associated with autoimmune or paraneoplastic disorders, infectious agents, trauma, or remain idiopathic, opsoclonus can also be caused by medications affecting neurotransmission. This review was prompted by a case of opsoclonus occurring in a patient with Multiple System Atrophy, where amantadine, an NMDA-receptor antagonist, appeared to induce opsoclonus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Susac syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disorder that involves the eyes, the brain, and the ears. It is a rare cause of recurrent branch retinal artery occlusion. The purpose of this study was to report cases of SS, highlighting the clinical presentations, therapeutic options, and their outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report two patients with toxic retinopathy from either ritonavir or didanosine and reviewed the literature on the topics. We provide an overview of the retinal toxicity of these two antiretroviral drugs in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients. First, we performed a retrospective study of the medical charts of two patients examined by us, one with ritonavir maculopathy and one with didanosine peripheral retinopathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKlin Monbl Augenheilkd
April 2021
Background: The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) A3243G point mutation encompasses a heterogenous group of disorders including mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), maternally inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD), and, rarely, chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO). Regardless of the clinical phenotype, a specific retinopathy has been associated with the presence of this mitochondrial DNA mutation. We present six female patients exhibiting retinopathy of the A3243G point mutation at various stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims Of The Study: Visual dysfunction is frequent in multiple sclerosis, usually resulting from retrobulbar optic neuritis or papillitis. Less frequently, demyelinating lesions can affect the retrochiasmal pathways. There are few reports of homonymous visual field defects (HVFD) in multiple sclerosis and little is known about their evolution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Optic neuritis (ON) is a frequent manifestation of demyelinating attack in multiple sclerosis (MS). Initial visual loss can vary from minimal to complete. Visual improvement occurs in about 95% of patients, some of them recovering to normal [visual acuity (VA), color vision, visual field (VF)].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM) is a rare benign tumour of the optic nerve sheath that can lead to blindness if untreated. Radiotherapy is commonly accepted as being the treatment of choice. We conducted a retrospective monocentric study to assess the effect of radiotherapy on visual outcomes and tumour control in patients with ONSM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKlin Monbl Augenheilkd
April 2019
Background: The Heimann-Bielschowsky phenomenon (HBP) is an unusual form of monocular vertical pendular nystagmus and is usually asymptomatic. It always occurs in an eye with longstanding, profound visual loss. Reports of HBP are few and HBP is probably underdiagnosed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOptic neuropathy (ON) is commonly complicated by microcystic macular edema (MME), that is, small vertical cystoid spaces in the inner nuclear layer (INL) of the macula. We performed a retrospective consecutive case series of 14 eyes from 11 patients with ON and MME that were treated with oral acetazolamide, acting on cellular water transport. Contralateral eyes without MME were used as controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of this study is to quantify the importance of loss of contrast sensitivity (CS) and its relationship to loss of visual acuity (VA), driving restrictions and daytime, on-road driving evaluations in drivers aged 70+.
Design: A predictive cross-sectional study.
Setting: Volunteer participants to a drivers' refresher course for adults aged 70+ delivered by the Swiss Automobile Club in western Switzerland from 2011 to 2013.
The autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is associated with structural retinal abnormalities either directly visible on funduscopy or revealed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Most patients with ARSACS have a whitish peripapillary appearance corresponding to a thickening of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer. OCT has also shown an absence of the physiological foveal depression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCavernous sinus hemangiomas (CSH) are rare benign extra-axial vascular lesions. Both radiological and clinical aspects are important, for deciding a therapeutic modality, including medical treatment, radiation therapy or microsurgery. In the particular case of CSH, a radical removal of the tumor often cannot be achieved and is associated with a considerable risk for intraoperative uncontrollable bleeding.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Giant cell arteritis is an inflammatory disorder of the medium- and large-size arteries. Permanent visual loss related to arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is among the most serious complications of this disease and initial treatment usually consists of high dose corticosteroids. There is no consensus in the literature concerning the optimal therapeutic approach in giant cell arteritis patients with corticosteroid-resistant arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKlin Monbl Augenheilkd
April 2017