[Ophthalmologic findings in patients with sudden deafness]

The etiology of sudden hearing loss is still not known. Among other pathomechanisms, vascular disorders have been proposed as an underlying cause. We investigated patients with sudden hearing loss for signs of microcirculation disorders.

Thirty-one patients (15 males and 16 females, mean age 37.5 years) were admitted because of sudden hearing loss. In addition, all patients underwent thorough ophthalmologic examination.

Refraction, vision, intraocular pressure and excavation of the optic nerve were normal. In 81% of all cases abnormal conjunctival vascular ectasia were detected. The fundus of 53% of the patients was characterized by slight tortuosity of arterial retinal vessels. The first 11 patients received an ocular electrophysiological examination and showed normal ERG, P-VEP and dark adaptation. Standard perimetry (TAP 2000 ct) revealed no abnormalities in 29 patients, 2 glaucoma patients had small arcuate scotomas. However, 90% of all 29 scotoma-free patients were abnormal in the white-noise campimetry (TEC, Oculus). Testing for color vision (Roth 28 HUE, desat.) revealed abnormally high values (right 120, left 131).

Although patients with sudden hearing loss appeared healthy in the standard eye examination, the more sensitive tests of white-noise campimetry and color vision, together with the conjunctival vascular ectasia and the tortuosity of arterial retinal vessels, indicated a disturbed microcirculation.