Practical clinical approaches to functional visual loss

Non-organic Vision Loss in the Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts

“…1,2,6,7 The clinician must have a high index of suspicion, which can be challenging in the setting of true ophthalmic pathology, and must not assume a diagnosis of NOVL until other organic diagnoses have been ruled out. The patients we describe underwent thorough evaluations, often by multiple providers on separate occasions as they progressed through the aeromedical evacuation system back to tertiary care facilities.…”

“…1 It is a condition that can be found in both children and adults, with several reports citing an incidence of approximately 1.75% in children and 5.25% in adults presenting to the outpatient ophthalmology clinic. 2 NOVL can be a difficult diagnosis to make and requires a high index of suspicion.…”

Functional neurological disorders: The neurological assessment as treatment

“…Crying either during or immediately after the attack Memory of being in a generalised seizure Ability to recall the experience of being in a generalised shaking attack Presence of an attack resembling epilepsy with a normal EEG A normal EEG does not exclude frontal lobe epilepsy or deep foci of epilepsy but does provide supportive evidence Visual symptoms 33 …”

Functional neurological symptoms

“…A recent study of 3,781 neurology patients in Scotland found that about 5% had a primary diagnosis of functional neurological symptoms, such as non-epileptic attacks, functional weakness and movement disorder. 2,3 Patients also present to specialties other than neurology with visual, 4 hearing and speech symptoms (typically a whispering dysphonia).…”