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Eye Care (Expert Forum)
pseudo papilledema
Answered by
John C Hagan III, MD, FACS - Ophthalmology
Discover Vision Centers
Kansas City - MO
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
pseudo papilledema
by sevo, Sep 13, 2007 04:01PM
I am a 50 year old woman who was diagnosed with Pseudo Papilledema in 1983. I took Diamox for approx 3 years and my symptoms subsided so I discontinued the meds. I am now occassionally noticing temporary loss of vision in a portion of my field of vision which is very similar to before, but without the "golden-red glow" I used to experience. Mostly I am noticing this occurs at night. I have no headaches, no problems losing my vision upon standing up. Do I need to be concerned about this? I go to my regular eye doctor about every 2 years and he has not noticed anything unusual but it has been about a year since I last saw him. Any recommendations you can give me would be helpful. Thanks.
Doctor's Answer
by John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, Sep 13, 2007 05:01PM
, Sep 13, 2007 05:01PM
Please check your medical records. It's unlikely you were treated for "pseudopapilledema" with Diamox. You most likely had "Pseudo-tumor cerebri" a condition that causes true papilledema and is treated with Diamox.
Yes, you need to see an ophthalmologist (Eye MD physician) ASAP as your symptoms could represent a reoccurrence. Or if you saw a neurologist you could see him/her also.
JCH III MD Ophthalmologist
Yes, you need to see an ophthalmologist (Eye MD physician) ASAP as your symptoms could represent a reoccurrence. Or if you saw a neurologist you could see him/her also.
JCH III MD Ophthalmologist
An alternative name for the condition is Benign Intra-cranial hypertension. This is less preferred as the disease, left untreated, can cause blindness.
The typical patient is an overweight female and the condition sometimes improves in both genders with weight reduction. It can be caused by medications including large doses of Vitamin A and tetracyclines.
Let us know when you find out for sure.
JCH III MD