Blindness ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Smoking Cessation

Bilateral central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) has been rarely reported as the primary manifestation in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The severe retinal vaso-occlusive diseases usually cause devastating and permanent damage to visual function in spite of vigorous treatment. A 42-year-old Chinese woman presented with abrupt bilateral vision loss. The diagnosis of bilateral CRAO was suggested by the ocular presentation and fluorescein angiography. Laboratory studies showed positive results of antinuclear antibody, anti-Ro/SSA anti-La/SSB; decreased levels of C3, C4 complement and normal levels of antiphospholipides antibodies (APAs). Her visual acuity deteriorated despite systemic steroid and immunosuppressant treatment. Severe vaso-occlusive retinopathy may be an earlier manifestation of SLE without elevated level of APAs.
Adult ; Blindness ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; complications ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Retinal Artery Occlusion ; etiology

Blindness ; epidemiology ; etiology ; prevention & control ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Vision, Low ; epidemiology ; etiology ; prevention & control

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vasoproliferative retinopathy. Worldwide, ROP is a major cause of blindness in children. This chapter describes its risk factors, etiology, diagnosis, treatment and recent advances.
Blindness ; etiology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Prognosis ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; classification ; etiology ; therapy ; Risk Factors

Blindness, Cortical ; etiology ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; complications ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; complications

Adult ; Blindness ; etiology ; Cysts ; complications ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Female ; Humans ; Paranasal Sinus Diseases ; complications

We are living in exciting times with many challenges and new opportunities to overcome diseases. The concept and definition of blindness and their major causes worldwide are discussed with reference to the Vision 2020 initiatives launched in 1999 for blindness prevention, with an updated summary. The peculiar problems that exists in Singapore are also presented. Yet, if the world's major causes of blindness: cataracts, onchocerciasis, trachoma, refractive errors and low vision, and childhood blindness (inherent problems of the Third and Fourth World) can be overcome with international concerted efforts by year 2020, there will emerge new causes as yet unknown. Noble as our aims may be to achieve short- and long-term targets, we have to face the continuous reality of our inability to fulfil them.
Blindness ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Global Health ; Healthy People Programs ; Humans ; World Health Organization

Adult ; Blindness ; etiology ; Cysts ; surgery ; Humans ; Infection ; complications ; etiology ; Male ; Paranasal Sinus Diseases ; surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; Sphenoid Sinus

Visual loss and field defects commonly occur after acute blood loss. We present a case of bilateral permanent visual field defect in a 30-year-old man after a massive hemorrhage caused by large vessel injury during a right nephrectomy. His postoperative visual acuity decreased significantly, and his visual field showed peripheral constriction and inferior altitudinal field defect in both eyes. A year and a half after the operation, visual acuity recovered to the preoperative level, but the field did not show improvement. We advance that this is a possible result of extensive injury to the occipital area, excluding the corresponding area of the macula.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Blindness/*etiology ; Blood Loss, Surgical/*physiopathology ; Cerebral Infarction/complications/*etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Nephrectomy ; Occipital Lobe/pathology ; Vena Cava, Inferior/injuries ; Vision Disorders/*etiology ; *Visual Fields

INTRODUCTIONOphthalmologists are occasionally confronted with an individual presenting with nyctalopia (i.e., a relatively greater difficulty seeing at night). When there is no accompanying abnormality seen in the fundus, visual electrophysiology becomes useful as an objective means of assessing rod (scotopic) photoreceptor function or pathway defects.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA retrospective study was performed on 50 consecutive patients, aged less than 40 years, with seemingly normal fundi and good vision [visual acuity (VA) >6/12] presenting to the Visual Electrodiagnostic Unit, Singapore National Eye Centre, for the investigation of nyctalopia over a 2-year period. Subjective scotopic threshold sensitivity (STS) and objective full-field electroretinogram (ERG) were performed. Persons with abnormal test results were identified.

RESULTSNormal ERG scotopic responses were obtained in 74% of subjects. There was no significant difference in age, refraction and STS levels between subjects with abnormal and normal ERG. In the group with abnormal scotopic ERG responses, 9 were identified to have nonspecific rod dysfunction, 2 had rod-cone dystrophies and 2 had ERG changes suggestive of congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB).

CONCLUSIONA large number of subjects presenting with nyctalopia had normal ERG findings. We can only assume that in these patients, no significant rod pathway dysfunction exists and that optical (e.g., night or instrument myopia) and psychological aetiologies should be considered. The fact that an abnormal result occurs in 26%, however, suggests that ncytalopia should be evaluated with electrophysiolgoical testing even when the fundi appear normal.

Adult ; Comorbidity ; Electroretinography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Night Blindness ; epidemiology ; physiopathology ; Refraction, Ocular ; Retinal Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Retrospective Studies