Understanding low functioning cerebral visual impairment: An Indian context.

For several reasons, cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is emerging as a major cause of visual impairment among children in the developing world and we are seeing an increasing number of such children in our clinics. Owing to lack of early training about CVI and it being a habilitation orientated subject, we need to become equipped to optimally help the affected children. In this paper we have explained our pragmatic approach in addressing children who present with low functioning CVI. Initially we explain briefly, how vision is processed in the brain. We then present what should be specifically looked for in these children in regular clinics as a part of their comprehensive ophthalmic examination. We discuss the process of functional vision evaluation that we follow with the help of videos to explain the procedures, examples of how to convey the conclusions to the family, and how to use our findings to develop intervention guidelines for the child. We explain the difference between passive vision stimulation and vision intervention, provide some common interventions that may be applicable to many children and suggest how to infuse interventions in daily routines of children so that they become relevant and meaningful leading to effective learning experiences.

Brain Machine Interfaces for Vision Restoration: The Current State of Cortical Visual Prosthetics.

Loss of vision alters the day to day life of blind individuals and may impose a significant burden on their family and the economy. Cortical visual prosthetics have been shown to have the potential of restoring a useful degree of vision via stimulation of primary visual cortex. Due to current advances in electrode design and wireless power and data transmission, development of these prosthetics has gained momentum in the past few years and multiple sites around the world are currently developing and testing their designs. In this review, we briefly outline the visual prosthetic approaches and describe the history of cortical visual prosthetics. Next, we focus on the state of the art of cortical visual prosthesis by briefly explaining the design of current devices that are either under development or in the clinical testing phase. Lastly, we shed light on the challenges of each design and provide some potential solutions.

[ZHANG Ren's experience in the treatment of cortical blindness with acupuncture: report of medical cases].

ZHANG Ren's experience is introduced in the treatment of cortical blindness with the comprehensive acupuncture therapy for benefiting qi and resolving stasis. The comprehensive therapy includes acupuncture at Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Xinming No.1 (Extra), Shang Jianming, Chengqi (ST 1), Xinming No.2 (Extra), optic area and visual area (scalp acupuncture); acupoint injection applied alternatively at Qiuhou (EX-HN 7) and Taiyang (EX-HN 5); the auricular point paste stimulation at Brain Point, Shenmen (TF4), Gan (CO12), Shen (CO10), Yan (LO5), Eye No.1 and Eye No.2; as well as the tapping therapy with skin needle at Zhengguang No.1 and Zhengguang No.2. Additionally, 3 typical cases of cortical blindness are introduced. The coordination of the different acupuncture techniques is analyzed so as to explain its actions as benefiting qi, resolving stasis, promoting blood circulation and nourishment of the eyes.

Resolution of Anton-Babinski syndrome after systemic thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy with a stentriever.

Anton-Babinski syndrome is a rare neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by bilateral cortical blindness and anosognosia with visual confabulation. We present the case of a patient presenting with occlusion of both posterior cerebral arteries (PCA), with Anton-Babinski syndrome, completely solved after combined systemic thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy with a stent-retriever.

Transient cortical blindness following intracardiac repair of congenital heart disease in an 11-year-old boy.

Postoperative blindness (PB) primarily involves reception and conductance parts of the visual pathway due to ischemia following cessation of blood supply, for example, retinal vascular occlusion. Although a rare cause of PB, cortical blindness (CB), which results from ischemia/infarction of visual cortex, has a poor outcome due to its mostly nonreversible nature. Ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common cause of PB following cardiac surgeries. CB following cardiac surgeries involving cardiopulmonary bypass has been rarely reported. Only a few of those articles reported partial or complete reversal of CB. We report an incidence of transient CB in an 11-year-old child who was operated for double chambered right ventricle with ventricular septal defect.

Setting up of a cerebral visual impairment clinic for children: Challenges and future developments.

AIM: The aim of this study is to describe the setting up of a cerebral visual impairment (CVI) clinic in a tertiary care hospital in South India and to describe the spectrum of cases seen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CVI clinic, set up in February 2011, receives interdisciplinary input from a core team involving a pediatrician, neurologist, psychiatrist, occupational therapist, pediatric ophthalmologist, and an optometrist. All children, <18 years of age, with cerebral palsy (CP), learning disability, autism, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain trauma are referred to the clinic for functional vision assessment and opinion for further management. RESULTS: One thousand four hundred and seventy-eight patients were seen in the CVI clinic from February 2011 to September 2015. Eighty-five percent of the patients were from different parts of India. In the clinic, 61% had CP, 28% had seizure disorders, autism was seen in 9.5%, and learning disability, neurodegenerative conditions, and brain injury together constituted 1.5%. Most of the children (45%) had moderate CP. Forty percent of CVI was due to birth asphyxia, but about 20% did not have any known cause for CVI. Seventy percent of patients, who came back for follow-up, were carrying out the habilitation strategies suggested. CONCLUSIONS: Average attendance of over 300 new patients a year suggests a definite need for CVI clinics in the country. These children need specialized care to handle their complex needs. Although difficult to coordinate, an interdisciplinary team including the support groups and voluntary organizations is needed to facilitate the successful implementation of such specialized service.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome complicating diabetic ketoacidosis; an important treatable complication.

Development of acute neurological symptoms secondary to cerebral oedema is well described in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and often has a poor prognosis. We present the clinical and radiological data of a 17-yr-old girl who developed cortical blindness, progressive encephalopathy, and seizures caused by posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) that developed after her DKA had resolved. Vasogenic oedema in PRES resolves if the underlying trigger is identified and eliminated. In this case, hypertension was identified as the likely precipitating factor and following treatment her vision and neurological symptoms rapidly improved. We suggest how recent DKA may have contributed to the development of PRES in this patient.

[Cortical blindness]. / La cécité corticale.

Cortical blindness refers to a visual loss induced by a bilateral occipital lesion. The very strong cooperation between psychophysics, cognitive psychology, neurophysiology and neuropsychology these latter twenty years as well as recent progress in cerebral imagery have led to a better understanding of neurovisual deficits, such as cortical blindness. It thus becomes possible now to propose an earlier diagnosis of cortical blindness as well as new perspectives for rehabilitation in children as well as in adults. On the other hand, studying complex neurovisual deficits, such as cortical blindness is a way to infer normal functioning of the visual system.

Reversible cortical blindness and internuclear ophthalmoplegia after neurosurgical operation: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: The reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy (RPL) syndrome with typical vasogenic edema in the occipital lobe and associated cortical blindness is a rare finding; however, the brainstem variant is even more infrequent. Etiologies discussed include blood pressure dysregulations, renal failure, or immunosuppression. PATIENT: A 63-year-old man with the characteristic radiographic findings of RPL syndrome presented with reversible cortical blindness and internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) after resection of an infratentorial hemangiopericytoma. The patient postoperatively presented with diplopia and mental status alterations followed by visual loss; these symptoms completely recovered within a few days. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery-, and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed bilateral hyperintense lesions not only in the white matter of the parieto-occipital region but also in the rostral paramedian mesencephalon and pons. CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesize that the patient had an RPL, coincidentally in classic-, and brainstem localization, caused by perioperative fluctuations of blood pressure.

Vision loss as a complication of nonophthalmologic surgery: implications for care for the perianesthesia nurse.

Postoperative vision loss not associated with ophthalmic surgery is a topic that has emerged in recent literature. Although presentation of this complication is rare, perianesthesia nurses should update their knowledge base to include knowledge of these devastating events. A review of common ocular events associated with postoperative vision loss, and the symptoms, assessment, management, and treatment of these events are indicated. The aim of this article is to explore the process of postoperative vision loss and present useful strategies to nurses for optimization of perianesthesia care.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a subacute encephalopathy of childhood and young adolescence. Infrequently, SSPE can occur in adults and pregnant women. It is caused by an aberrant measles virus, known as the SSPE virus. SSPE virus differs from wild-type measles viruses in the form of several mutations affecting the viral genome. The matrix gene is most commonly affected by these mutations. The characteristic clinical manifestations of SSPE include behavioral changes, cognitive decline, myoclonic jerks, seizures, abnormalities in vision, bilateral pyramidal signs and coma. Ocular changes may occur in up to 50% of patients. The most characteristic ophthalmological lesion is necrotizing retinitis. Cortical blindness can be the early feature of SSPE. The diagnosis of SSPE is often difficult in the early stages. In a typical case diagnosis is based on clinical, electroencephalographic, and cerebrospinal fluid findings. At present, there is no effective treatment to completely cure SSPE. Oral isoprinosine and intrathecal or intraventricular alpha-interferon may prolong survival to some extent. Immunization against measles is currently the most effective strategy against SSPE.

Ceguera cortical como forma de presentación de hemorragia subaracnoidea / Cortical blindness as onset of subarachnoid hemorrhage

Presentamos el caso de una paciente de 51 años que acude a urgencias por cuadro de cefalea, meningismo y pérdida de visión de aparición brusca. Fue diagnosticada de hemorragia subaracnoidea (HSA) y la pérdida de visión fue explicada como un caso de ceguera cortical. La ceguera cortical es un síntoma poco habitual que puede estar causado por diversas causas a nivel del SNC, en este caso por isquemia secundaria a vasoespasmo intenso tras HSA (AU)

Case of a 51-year-old woman who comes to the Emergency suffering from headache, menigism and sudden loss of vision. She was diagnosed of SAH and loss of vision explained as cortical blindness. Cortical blindness is a rare syntomathology and can be produced by several CNS pathologies. In this case, it was caused by ischemia secondary to severe vasoespasm after SAH (AU)

[Reversible loss of vision in severe preeclampsia: case report and review of the literature]. / Reversibler Visusverlust bei schwerer Präeklampsie - Fallbericht und Literaturübersicht.

Visual disturbances occur in up to 25 % of the patients with preeclampsia. However, blindness remains a rare phenomenon. A 39 year old primigravida was admitted for observation at 30 weeks gestation with signs of preeclampsia. After 11 days she suffered a complete loss of vision. The blindness reversed completely after cesarean section and antihypertensive treatment. Blindness in preeclamptic patients is mostly caused by hypertensive encephalopathy. We discuss pathophysiological aspects as well as diagnostic approaches and therapeutic options with respect to the available literature.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging mirrors recovery of visual perception after repetitive tachistoscopic stimulation in patients with partial cortical blindness.

We investigated three patients with partial cortical blindness after brain injury by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after the application of a daily visual stimulation-therapy over a period of 6 months. Before therapy, fMRI data showed a severely reduced blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal in primary visual cortex when compared to healthy volunteers. Following several months of rehabilitative therapy a neuropsychological improvement of visual functions was accompanied by an increase in BOLD signal of residual perilesional regions whereas fMRI data of the control group remained unchanged. A high capacity of functional recovery and synaptic plasticity of surviving perilesional neuronal structures of primary visual cortex followed by an increased input into post-connected visual areas can be discussed as a basis for the reoccurrence of visual functions.