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Arch Ophthalmol. 2000;118:1696-1698.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

We examined 2 new cases of postburn optic neuropathy, and 10 additional cases were identified in the medical literature. The onset was either immediate or delayed for weeks. Patients did not necessarily manifest symptoms of an encephalopathy before the onset of visual loss. Loss of vision was severe and bilateral in all cases, with disc edema present in most. Retinal hemorrhages and edema were observed in some cases. There was a capacity for spontaneous recovery.

We conclude that patients with cutaneous scalds or thermal burns may develop bilateral optic neuropathy, the pathogenesis of which has yet to be established. Visual loss following burns usually results from direct injury to the ocular surface. However, in some instances the visual loss is neurogenic. Our goal in presenting the following cases is to document the rarely reported occurrence of optic neuropathy following cutaneous thermal burns.

Report of Cases

Case 1

A 25-year-old man was burned on May 11, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Case 2

Comment
Corresponding author: Simmons Lessell, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114.