Summary of eye examinations of 284 patients with multiple sclerosis

The aim of this article is to report the findings of ocular examinations in a group of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who were referred to the eye department of the Nationaal Multiple Sclerosis Centrum of Melsbroek, Belgium, from 2007 to 2010. Patients were evaluated by a single examiner, who noted visual acuity for distance, the state of the optic disks, oculomotor balance, and the presence of nystagmus, uveitis, trigeminal neuralgia, and facial palsy. The sample consisted of 284 adults born between 1920 and 1989: 111 males and 173 females. There were 51 patients with a corrected visual acuity in the better-seeing eye of less than 6/20. The optic nerve head was found to be normal in 245 eyes. Nystagmus was noted in 104 patients. Diplopia at distance was found to be present in 20 males, of whom 12 also had nystagmus, and in 31 females, of whom 13 also had nystagmus. Oscillopsia was present in 6 males and 11 females. In summary, most of the patients evaluated had sufficient visual function to allow performance of activities of daily living without help. A small number of patients had visual failure due to dysfunction of the visual sensory pathway and/or disturbances of oculomotor balance, often of a supranuclear origin, resulting in considerable disability.