Rare causes of blindness

• Rare causes of blindness are intraocular cysticercosis and toxocariasis. Eye lesions due to sparganosis are very rare. Panophthalmitis due to myiasis (Oestrus ovis) is rare, but very serious.

• Neuritis optica can be caused by a number of diseases: syphilis, cerebral cryptococcosis, purulent or tuberculous meningitis, demyelinising diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Dévic disease. Leber's disease indicates hereditary opticus atrophy. Differential diagnosis of papiloedema can be difficult. Retrobulbar neuritis is a neuritis optica without obvious abnormalities of the papilla ("the patient sees nothing and the doctor sees nothing"). Toxic amblyopia (alcohol, tobacco) occurs. Acute vitamin A intoxication with cerebral oedema and papiloedema can occur, e.g. after eating food rich in retinol, such as polar bear liver and shark liver.

• In the case of papillitis (papillitis optica), differential diagnosis includes among other things idiopathic papillitis (most frequent diagnosis), multiple sclerosis or vascular problems with local ischaemia. It seldom involves tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, Behçet's disease, Crohn's disease, cryptococcosis, toxocariosis, Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), syphilis, leptospirosis or cat scratch disease.

Category: Ophthalmology Notes