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Ocular Manifestations After Acute Methanol Poisoning
Maamouri Rym1,2, Nabi Wijden1,2, Maamouri Héla2,3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Habib Thameur hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.
Neuro-Ophthalmology (Aeolus Press)
|July 12, 2023
Summary
Acute methanol poisoning can cause severe vision loss. This study found that 81.8% of patients with visual symptoms experienced ocular abnormalities, including optic neuropathy, highlighting the importance of ophthalmological evaluation in methanol poisoning cases.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Acute methanol poisoning is a life-threatening condition.
- Ocular impairment significantly impacts the functional prognosis after methanol poisoning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the ocular manifestations of acute methanol poisoning.
- To analyze ophthalmological findings during a methanol poisoning outbreak in Tunisia.
Main Methods:
- Case series analysis of 21 patients (41 eyes) with acute methanol poisoning.
- Comprehensive ophthalmological examinations including visual fields, color vision testing, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) evaluation.
- Patients classified into groups based on the presence or absence of visual symptoms.
Main Results:
- Ocular abnormalities were present in 81.8% of patients with visual symptoms.
- Common findings included optic neuropathy (63.6%), central retinal artery occlusion (9.1%), and central serous chorioretinopathy (9.1%).
- Mean blood methanol levels were significantly higher in patients without ocular symptoms (p=0.03).
Conclusions:
- Acute methanol poisoning frequently leads to significant ocular abnormalities.
- Optic neuropathy is a primary concern in patients experiencing visual symptoms.
- Higher methanol blood levels correlate with a lack of ocular symptoms, suggesting a complex dose-response relationship or differential manifestation.
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