Significance of the appearance of the optic disc for predicting visual function following removal of pituitary adenomas.

Deterioration of visual function occured in 60% of 117 patients with pituitary adenoma. After transsphenoidal operation, both eyes regained normal visual acuity and visual fields in 28.2% of 64 patients, improvement was noted in 50%, no change was found in 15.6%, and a slight progression was observed in 6.2%. In those cases with unimpaired optic disc before the operation, visual functions became normal in more than 50%. No full ophthalmological recovery was found when the pallor of the disc was severe. In the authors' opinion, ophthalmological prognosis depends in the first place not on the visual acuity, but on the preoperative condition of the optic disc. Full ophthalmological recovery or improvement sufficient to resume working can be expected when the optic disc is normal or shows only temporal pallor, even when visual function is severely impaired.