Cortical blindness associated with bilateral posterior ischemic optic neuropathy after generalized cerebral hypoxia

Abstract

The case presented here involves a 42-year-old woman. Bilateral blindness was observed at the moment of her recovery from general anesthesia following a gynecological surgical intervention. A neuro-ophthalmologic examination revealed a combination of cortical blindness, as assessed by CT scan and MRI data, caused by bilateral occipital ischemia and bilateral posterior ischemic optic neuropathy, as revealed by ophthalmoscopic data. The condition resulted in a partial optic atrophy during the observation period. We assume that this pathological combination appeared as a consequence of generalized cerebral hypoxia during the operation. The possibility of transneuronal retrograde degeneration or another additional disease is considered less probable.