Acute visual loss

Abstract

Visual loss is a common symptom in neurologic emergencies. Although ocular causes of visual loss are usually identified by eye care specialists, many patients appear in an emergency department or a neurologist’s office when the ocular examination is normal or when it suggests a neurologic disorder. Indeed, many causes of monocular or binocular acute visual loss may reveal or precede a neurologic process. In this situation, a quick and simple clinical examination done at bedside in the emergency department allows the neurologist to localize the lesion and determine whether an urgent neurologic workup or further ophthalmologic consultation is necessary.