Acute, monocular vision loss from Rathke's cleft cyst

Rathke's cleft cysts are benign, non-neoplastic sellar lesions that are often asymptomatic. The rare patient with symptoms may present with pituitary dysfunction, headache, or visual problems. Visual deficits are generally consistent with a chiasmal syndrome as associated with other sellar lesions. Therefore, the most commonly described deficit is bitemporal hemianopsia. We describe a 16-year-old female patient who presented with rare, rapidly progressing monocular blindness without signs of apoplexy or hemorrhage. She had complete return of vision after surgical decompression. The rapid loss and recovery of vision suggest that ischemic factors, rather than deformation of the optic apparatus, contributed to her symptoms. The relevant literature is reviewed.