H C Fledelius1. 1. Rigshospitalet, University Eye Dept., Copenhagen, Denmark.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To present a case of blinding bilateral acute optic nerve disease in a 15-year-old male apparently induced by inhalation of amyl nitrite. METHODS: Sequentially over four days he lost his four altitudinal visual hemifields, leaving atrophic discs and only 2/60 and a small field in the better eye. Scannings by CT and MRI and a full laboratory research gave no specific clue to the pathogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: No similar cases have been described in the more than 100-year history of pharmacological use of amyl nitrite for angina pectoris, and pharmacologically it is hard to point out a rationale behind the sequential visual loss As an alternative to frank toxicity, therefore, we have considered a parainfectious mechanism as related to an influenza-like disease immediately prior to the abuse episode.
PURPOSE: To present a case of blinding bilateral acute optic nerve disease in a 15-year-old male apparently induced by inhalation of amyl nitrite. METHODS: Sequentially over four days he lost his four altitudinal visual hemifields, leaving atrophic discs and only 2/60 and a small field in the better eye. Scannings by CT and MRI and a full laboratory research gave no specific clue to the pathogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: No similar cases have been described in the more than 100-year history of pharmacological use of amyl nitrite for angina pectoris, and pharmacologically it is hard to point out a rationale behind the sequential visual loss As an alternative to frank toxicity, therefore, we have considered a parainfectious mechanism as related to an influenza-like disease immediately prior to the abuse episode.
Authors: A J Davies; S P Kelly; S G Naylor; P R Bhatt; J P Mathews; J Sahni; R Haslett; M McKibbin Journal: Eye (Lond) Date: 2012-10-19 Impact factor: 3.775