An atypical case of bilateral optic neuritis after strabismus surgery under general anesthesia

Strabismus surgery under general anesthesia is a common procedure with rare complications in the form of hemorrhage, infection, slipped muscle, lost muscle, scleral perforation, and anterior segment ischemia. We report a unique case of bilateral optic neuritis following squint surgery under general anesthesia in a 15-year-old girl.

A 15-year-old girl presented with accommodative esotropia with V pattern. She underwent uneventful bilateral inferior oblique recession surgery under general anesthesia with Propofol 60 mg, Atracurium 30 mg, and Fentanyl 70 mcg. On the first post-operative day, the patient had an acute onset of temporal headache which was non-radiating. She responded to supportive treatment and was discharged. However, on the 7th postoperative day, she presented with a constant severe headache in the bitemporal region (left > right) for 3 days. She also experienced a painless diminution of vision for 2 days. There was no vomiting, fever, loose stools, diplopia, difficulty in breathing, peripheral sensation loss, generalized weakness, or bowel/bladder incontinence.

The best corrected visual acuity was 6/9 in right eye, and 6/9p in left eye with a relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) in the left eye. Both optic discs appeared hyperemic with blurred margins. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and orbit showed hyperintensity along the intraorbital and intracanalicular parts of bilateral optic nerves on T2 weighted image suggesting bilateral optic neuritis. She received intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by oral steroids and responded to the medical treatment with improvement in vision but developed steroid-induced glaucoma requiring medical management over several weeks.

Neuro-ophthalmic complication in the form of non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy has been reported after various ophthalmic surgeries, but bilateral optic neuritis has not been reported to date. This possibility should be kept in mind if any patient presents with similar symptoms. This report also highlights IOP monitoring in pediatric patients receiving systemic steroids to prevent loss of vision due to steroid-induced glaucoma.