Within 48 hours after an intraperitoneal injection of sodium cyanide, abnormalities are evident in the retrobulbar portion of rat optic nerves. Electron microscopy initially shows swelling of astrocytes but progressively increasing damage, primarily to axones, is evident later. Six weeks after intoxication the retrobulbar segment of the nerves are devastated but the retinas and prechiasmal port...

The diagnosis of optic neuritis and particularly retrobulbar optic neuritis when atypical and not responsive to corticosteroid treatment may need to be revised. This is now especially so in male patients who should be questioned regarding their taking a phosphodiasterase-5 inhibitor in particular Viagra. The case history of such a patient is presented who sustained posterior ischaemic optic neu...

EDITORIAL There are a number of questions about the type of anesthesia to be applied and if it should be different depending on the type of surgical technique. The use of topical anesthesia in cataract surgery is a routine procedure (1) due to the advantages of its application and the elimination of risks derived from loco-regional technique (retrobulbar hemorrhage , perforation, miotoxicity) a...

Cataract surgery is a procedure performed on a high number of patients in prolonged antithrombotic treatment.1 Over 28% of these patients take aspirin, 2% are in treatment with clopidogrel and over 5% are anticoagulated.2 It is well known that interrupting the use of anticoagulants during surgery could increase the risk of thromboembolism. For example, the annual cerebrovascular accident risk i...

CASE SUMMARY An 18-month-old male neutered Ragdoll cat presented with an 8 week history of progressive unilateral right-sided mucopurulent nasal discharge and exophthalmos. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a heterogeneous right retrobulbar mass and bilateral nasal cavity disease. Filamentous structures seen on cytology of retrobulbar and nasal biopsies were mistakenly identified as filamento...

For many years, retrobulbar and peribulbar anesthesia were the standard for cataract surgery; however, many serious adverse effects have been reported (1, 2). With the introduction of modern phacoemulsification cataract surgery, topical anesthesia without retrobulbar or periocular injections has become a well-established, minimally invasive technique (3). The addition of intracameral lidocaine ...

Goldfish (Carassius auratus, var. japonicus, subvar. bicaudatus) respond to the administration of thyrotrophic hormone with exophthalmos. Eye protrusion increases with simultaneous injections of corticotrophin. Retrobulbar injections of normal saline, human serum or pituitary hormones produce a transient exophthalmos, which is much more persistent when thyrotrophin is injected. Previous treatme...

Some evidence suggests that the primary locus of the lesion in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) may be intraocular rather than retrobulbar. To clarify this issue, the condition of the retrobulbar portion of the optic nerve was evaluated in patients with the acute stage of LHON. High resolution MRI with fast spin echo sequences of the optic nerve complex in the orbit was carried out. F...

Demyelinating optic neuritis is the commonest cause of optic neuropathy in young adults. Retrobulbar optic neuritis is one of the frequent clinical forms of demyelinating optic neuritis. We report a case of a 28-year-old lady who presented with blurring of vision in the right eye for one month and pain on eye movement. Fundi examinations were normal. Initial suspicion was that of retrobulbar op...

Ocular pain can be multi-factorial and often refractory to treatment, in spite of the myriad options available to the ophthalmologist for its management. Initial therapy entails the use of topical and systemic pressure lowering agents as well as anti-inflammatory/analgesics for the provision of relief. Those refractory to medical therapy may require surgical intervention in the form of cyclodes...