Related Experiment Videos
Bilateral vascular occlusions of the anterior visual pathway and cocaine abuse
Scott M Friedman1, Curtis E Margo, Mark Konicki
1From the *Central Florida Retina Institute, Lakeland; †Departments of Pathology and Ophthalmology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa; ‡the Divisions of Medicine and Surgery, Lakeland Regional Medical Center, Lakeland, Florida; and §Department of Ophthalmology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
Purpose:
Describe bilateral vision loss from ischemic injury of the anterior visual pathway due to recreational cocaine.
Methods:
Case report.
Patient:
A 33-year-old man presented to the emergency room with headache associated with multiple cerebral hemispheric lesions on computed tomogram.
Results:
During hospital admission, he lost vision from a right central retinal artery occlusion and an ischemic event to the left optic nerve head. Extensive diagnostic evaluation was unrewarding. The patient admitted to persistent cocaine abuse after his 2-month hospitalization.
Conclusion:
The diagnosis of cocaine-related vascular occlusion to the anterior visual pathway may not be considered because physicians are unaware of these ocular side effects.