Disturbance of central vision after carbon monoxide poisoning

Cerebral achromatopsia is a disturbance of colour perception which may be complete or partial.

A 28-year-old male patient presented five months after carbon monoxide poisoning with achromatopsia. The achromatopsia was unaccompanied by an inability to recognise faces (prosopagnosia) nor was there any disorder of form or depth perception.

Magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral sharply defied areas of haemorrhagic infarction in the globus pallidus with extensive infarction involving temporal and occipital lobes and with apparent partial sparing of the visual cortex, presumably due to arterial insufficiency. The disturbance of central colour vision resolved spontaneously after a further period of 6 months.

The symptom of achromatopsia is analysed with particular reference to the recent work of Professor Zeki on disturbance of central colour vision following CO poisoning and the unusual MRI findings.