[Neuroophthalmological aspects of benign intracranial hypertension].

Benign intracranial hypertension (BICH) is characterized by elevated spinal fluid pressure in the absence of space-occupying lesion in the skull, dilated cerebral ventricles, significant neurological disorders, and altered spinal fluid composition. Forty-nine patients with a female predominance were examined. Their age ranged from 4 to 52 years (median 39 years). The most common predictors of BICH were overweight, endocrine disorders, and cerebral sinus thrombosis. Ophthalmoscopically, the patients were found to have early, moderate, and significant papilledema, and secondary optic atrophy. Examination of visual functions revealed these or those disturbances of visual acuity and/or field of vision in 43 of the 49 patients. The incidence and degree of visual disturbances depended on the stage of papilledema. Timely diagnosis and treatment in patients with BICH allows the development of visual disturbances to be prevented in them.