Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026

Optic Nerve Sheath Point of Care Ultrasound: Image Acquisition
Published on: August 18, 2023
The twists and turns of optic disk swelling in a teenager
Michael C Brodsky1, Grant T Liu
1Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Abstract:
A 17-year-old girl developed headaches, transient visual obscuration, pulsatile tinnitus, and hearing loss during an episode of pneumonia. Neuro-ophthalmologic examination disclosed severe bilateral optic disk swelling and macular exudate in the right eye. Lumbar puncture showed an opening pressure of 55 cm H2O without neurochemical abnormalities. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging showed no mass lesion or signs of venous sinus thrombosis, confirming the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Following the lumbar puncture, the papilledema resolved but visual acuity decreased to 20/40 in the right eye despite normal color vision. Perimetric signs of psychogenic visual loss developed. This case underscores that hyperacute papilledema can simulate bilateral optic neuritis and illustrates the importance of color vision testing in distinguishing macular visual loss from optic neuropathy. It also illustrates the confounding effect of psychogenic visual loss in judging the clinical course of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
Related Concept Videos
Diabetic Retinopathy
Glaucoma: Overview
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
Anatomy of the Eyeball
Open Angle Glaucoma: Treatment
Drugs such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, α2- and...
Angle Closure Glaucoma: Treatment