[Analysis of SMON at 30 years after its outbreak ending: special reference to those patients with blindness]

We analysed the present state of those SMON patients with severely disturbed visual acuity. In medical screening of SMON Research Group at 1999, 52 out of 1,083 patients and 549 out of 1128 had their histories of complete blindness and complete loss of locomotion ability at the onset of SMON, respectively. Eighty one out of 1,149 patients showed severe visual impairment, including 22 with complete blindness. The number of patients with complete loss of locomotion and that of gait with cane/assistance were 59 and 443, respectively. Then, a large number of SMON patients have been still suffering from sequelae of clioquinol intoxication. Those patients groups with blindness and severe visual acuity yet showed after 30 years more severe disorders in locomotive activity, muscle strength and spasticity of lower extremities, degree of dysesthesia as well as vibratory sensory deficit, and ADL score. Those patients with complete or near complete blindness were profoundly handicapped so that the ratio of patients with a life-long institutionalization was high compared to the groups with less severe visual disturbance. Thus, it seems necessary to make a more extensive and meticulous supports for those SMON patients with blindness as they are in need of more finance and care providers.