Visual impairment due to optic neuropathy in pernicious anemia: report of case and review of the literature.

OUGH the havoc wroumght by blindness is not part of the classical picture of pernicious anemia, an occasional Victim of this disease becomes blind from an optic nerve lesion. In America, little attention has been given to this complication. In 1897, Bastianelli’ reported a patient with anemia, spastic paraplegia and optic nerve atrophy, and thereafter sporadic reports of optic atrophy in patients with pernicious anemia appeared. Cohen,#{176} in 1936, first suggested that optic nerve neuropathy was a direct sequel of pernicious anemia. By 1940, utm collected several reports and discussed the clinical problem, defining the kind of optic nerve lesion encountered. Subsequent reviews with additional case reports were made by McAlpine and Goldsmith in 1952,12 Benham in 1951’s and Hyland and Sharpe in 1952.14 It is our purpose to report a case and to review the available medical writing on this topic. In the review we will stress the associated hematologic findings, neurobogic lesions and response to therapy.