Acquired color vision defects in retrobulbar neuritis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Retrobulbar optic neuritis can cause persistent visual deficits.
• Assessing residual optic nerve damage is crucial for prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the incidence of acquired color vision defects in patients with resolved retrobulbar optic neuritis.
• To correlate color vision deficits with optic nerve damage.

Main Methods:

• Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test administered to 30 patients with recovered visual acuity.
• Visual-evoked response (VER) recorded concurrently.
• Analysis of error scores and correlation with optic nerve damage.

Main Results:

• All 30 affected eyes exhibited excessive errors on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test.
• A positive correlation was found between error frequency and the extent of residual optic nerve damage.
• Visual-evoked response showed limited sensitivity with one false-positive and two false-negative results.

Conclusions:

• Acquired color vision defects are a significant and common sequela of retrobulbar optic neuritis.
• The Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test is a sensitive tool for detecting these defects.
• Color vision assessment may provide valuable insights into the degree of optic nerve damage.