What is POVL?
Postoperative visual loss (POVL) is a rare complication of surgery, with increased prevalence after cardiac, spine, head and neck, and some orthopedic procedures.
What surgery can cause blindness?
Highest rates of visual loss are with cardiac and spine surgery. The main causes of visual loss after non-ocular surgery are retinal vascular occlusion and ischaemic optic neuropathy.
Can general anesthesia cause blindness?
Postoperative vision loss (POVL) during non-ocular procedures is a devastating complication following surgery under general anesthesia. There is significant variation in the reported incidence of POVL ranging from 0.056 to 1.3% (1).
What causes vision loss after surgery?
Various causes attributed to postoperative blindness include ischemic optic neuropathy, central or branch retinal artery occlusion, cortical blindness, and rarely external ocular injury. Other contributory factors described are microvascular diseases and intraoperative hemodynamic compromise.
What is ischemic optic neuropathy?
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) is a sudden loss of vision due to an interruption of blood flow to the front (anterior) of the optic nerve, also known as the optic nerve head. The optic nerve’s job is to carry visual information from the eye to the brain, which assembles this information into images.
Can anesthesia change vision?
Does anesthesia affect vision?
Despite the benefits of a numbed surgical experience, anesthesia can result in some unintended side effects. One such residual effect can be blurred vision – a side effect not caused directly by the drug, but often by an abrasion of the cornea, the outermost layer of the eye.
How long will my vision be blurry after anesthesia?
In most cases, blurry vision lasts for 24 to 48 hours after surgery. Some people may have blurry or altered vision for up to a week. If your blurry vision lasts any longer than that, you should talk with your doctor.
How long does anesthetic stay in your body after surgery?
Anesthetic drugs can stay in your system for up to 24 hours. If you’ve had sedation or regional or general anesthesia, you shouldn’t return to work or drive until the drugs have left your body. After local anesthesia, you should be able to resume normal activities, as long as your healthcare provider says it’s okay.
Can an Anaesthetic affect your eyesight?
What does ischemic mean in medical terms?
Ischemia is a condition in which the blood flow (and thus oxygen) is restricted or reduced in a part of the body. Cardiac ischemia is the name for decreased blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle.
What does Povl stand for?
APSF believes that increased awareness and understanding of risk factors associated with perioperative visual loss (POVL) is a timely patient safety topic.
What is postoperative vision loss (Povl)?
Introduction Postoperative vision loss (POVL) is a rare but unexpected and devastating complicationthat is most often associated with cardiac, spine, and head and neck operations. Residual effects of anesthetic agents may mask the initial signs and symptoms of visual loss in the postoperative period.
Are residual effects of anesthetic agents associated with perioperative visual loss?
Residual effects of anesthetic agents may mask the initial signs and symptoms of visual loss in the postoperative period. Spine and cardiac surgeries appear to be associated with a higher incidence of perioperative visual loss than other operative procedures.
Is there a patient profile at risk for Povl?
Peer-review literature and data from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA POVL Registry) are evolving in a manner that suggest a patient profile at risk for POVL and steps to take in the surgical and anesthetic management that might decrease the incidence of this devastating complication.