Acute ischemic optic neuropathy in severe preeclampsia.

A 32-year-old woman developed bilateral blindness along with severe preeclampsia of pregnancy. Ophthalmoscopic examination disclosed chalky-white optic disks with only minimal changes in the retinal vasculature. After caesarean section, the preeclampsia improved, and complete return of visual acuity occurred during a three-day period. Blindness has rarely been reported as a complication of preeclampsia. In almost all cases it has been associated with severe compromise of the retinal vasculature. conversely, the ophthalmoscopic findings in our case strongly support acute ischemic optic neuropathy as the cause of blindness.