Korean J Ophthalmol.  2013 Oct;27(5):372-375. 10.3341/kjo.2013.27.5.372.

Acute Bilateral Visual Loss Related to Orthostatic Hypotension

• Kim JY
• Kim KN
• Kim WJ
• Lee YH

• KMID: 1707292
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/kjo.2013.27.5.372

Abstract

A 50-year-old man had undergone lumbar vertebral surgery and was confined to bed in the supine position for three months. When he sat up from the prolonged supine position, he showed clinical signs of orthostatic hypotension and reported decreased vision in both eyes. He also had underlying anemia. Ophthalmologic findings suggested bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (ION) as the cause of the visual loss. Although there are numerous reports of ION in the setting of hemodynamic compromise, such as systemic hypotension, cases of ION-associated orthostatic hypotension are very rare.

Keyword

Ischemic optic neuropathy; Optic disc edema; Orthostatic hypotension; Visual loss

MeSH Terms

Acute Disease
Blindness/diagnosis/*etiology/physiopathology
Fluorescein Angiography
Fundus Oculi
Humans
Hypotension, Orthostatic/*complications/physiopathology
Male
Middle Aged
Visual Acuity