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Acute-onset diplopia
Una O'Colmain1, Claire Gilmour, Caroline J MacEwen
1Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK.
Acta Ophthalmologica
|February 8, 2013
Summary
Acute onset diplopia is often manageable with clinical evaluation, as serious causes are rare. Most cases of sudden double vision have identifiable origins upon initial presentation.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neurology
Background:
- Acute onset diplopia presents a diagnostic challenge in ophthalmology.
- Understanding the common causes and diagnostic pathways is crucial for effective patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical features of patients presenting with acute-onset diplopia.
- To determine the frequency of various etiologies and the necessity of advanced investigations.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of patient records presenting with acute diplopia (<4-week duration) over two years.
- Extraction of data on clinical features, etiology, medical history, investigations, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- 149 patients were analyzed; isolated cranial nerve palsies were most common (53.7%).
- Serious underlying pathology requiring immediate management was identified in less than 5% of cases.
- Diagnosis and etiology were clinically evident at presentation in over 80% of patients.
Conclusions:
- Acute diplopia is uncommon but often diagnosable through clinical evaluation.
- Urgent radiological investigation is infrequently required, with a small minority of cases presenting serious emergent pathology.
Keywords:
CNS disorders, intracranialbinocularcranial nerve, palsydiplopia/aetiologymicrovascularnervous system diseases/complicationsMore Related Videos
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