Unilateral visual loss after spine surgery: Lesson to be learnt from unexpected devastating complication

Abstract

Visual loss following spinal surgery is a potentially devastating and rare complication. Spinal surgery is the leading cause of POVL. Although the etiology of POVL is not clearly understood, multiple risk factors have been proposed. The horseshoe is no longer an appropriate device for prone spinal surgery and its use should not be supported. Awareness, evaluation and timely management of this rare devastating complication is crucial. It is advisable to inform high-risk patients that there is a small, unpredictable risk of perioperative visual loss. We discuss a case of 32 year old lady; who had experienced unexpected visual loss after elective spine surgery. Keywords: Visual loss, Spinal surgery, Ischemic optic neuropathy