Blindness After Brain Tumor Surgery

Vision is integrated into other problems that can occur post tbi like muscular imbalance and vestibular problems dizziness imbalance vertigo etc.

Blindness after brain tumor surgery.

As the tumour grows or there is a build up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain it can squeeze normal healthy brain tissue including the main cranial nerves within the brain. This is a common occurrence following brain surgery that will diminish with time. Blocked vessels may be a cause of stroke especially after brain tumor removal surgery. Irreversible brain damage can occur in those affected areas that may be involved with functions such as speech movement or vision.

Normally long term blindness caused by optic nerve compression by a brain tumor is regarded as irreversible and even a surgical excision of the optic nerve is performed in some cases. It might be uncomfortable to have a scan so soon. It was clear to everyone involved that if the patient had been told nine months earlier that she had a brain tumor she would have had it surgically removed and it never would ve created any damage to the optic nerve. We started active vision therapy to rehabilitate her vision.

Visual loss after anesthesia for nonocular surgery is a devastating and fortunately uncommon event. The most common injury was corneal abrasion and only 1 patient had permanent blindness from ischemic optic neuropathy after spine surgery. In such a condition brain cells of that particular region die due to the lack of oxygen. Tumors that affect the retina or optic nerve can also cause blindness.

2reported that 34 of 60 965 0 056 patients sustained eye injuries after anesthesia. The resulting pressure can alter how well the nerve works and if this happens to the optic nerve your vision can be affected. Brain scans after surgery. In 1996 roth et al.

About 2 or 3 days after surgery you might have a mri scan or ct scan. Other common causes of blindness include. A scan can show if there is any tumour left and how much swelling there is in the area of the operation. Emily may complain that lights outside are extremely bright.

The brain will naturally heal and improve with time. After a brain injury once the person is medically stable we will start visual rehabilitation. But research shows us this is the best time to get these images. Blindness is a potential complication if you have diabetes or have a stroke.

If not we have a head start by starting that early. If the visual problems resolve great.