Brief reportSneeze-induced visual and ocular motor dysfunction
Section snippets
Case 1
A 32-year-old man experienced the “worst headache of his life” and collapsed at work. Computed tomographic (CT) head scan showed subarachnoid blood and obstructive hydrocephalus. Angiography demonstrated an aneurysm of the left anterior inferior cerebellar artery. The aneurysm was clipped using an anterior, transfacial, transclival approach with sphenoidotomy and clivus resection.
Six months later, immediately after sneezing, the patient developed vertical binocular diplopia. Neuroophthalmologic
Case 2
A healthy 52-year-old man lost vision in his right eye for approximately 20 minutes upon awakening. He then experienced five episodes of transient (roughly 25 minutes) visual loss/day, always provoked by coughing or sneezing. He described a “central cloud that expanded” to cover the entire field.
Neuro-ophthalmologic examination 1 month later was normal. Upon request, he twice feigned sneezes that were each followed by transient (<10 minutes) decrease of best-corrected visual acuity in the right
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Cited by (11)
Analysis of optic disc tilt angle in intrapapillary hemorrhage adjacent to peripapillary subretinal hemorrhage using swept-source optical coherence tomography
2022, American Journal of Ophthalmology Case ReportsCitation Excerpt :The tilt angle ratio of the affected eye to the contralateral eye ranged between 1.22 and 1.59; the mean value across the 5 cases was 1.37, and its 95% confidence interval ranged between 1.15 and 1.58. This supports the hypothesis that when changes in blood flow pressure occur in the ONH for some reason, such as during Valsalva maneuvers13 and sneezing,14 bleeding occurs in discs that have a greater tilt angle, i.e., are anatomically and histologically more vulnerable to changes in blood pressure. The IOP and cerebrospinal and intravascular pressure increase, which can lead to bleeding from vulnerable blood vessels.15
Intrapapillary hemorrhage with adjacent peripapillary subretinal hemorrhage
2004, OphthalmologyNeuroophthalmologic Disease of the Retina
2022, Albert and Jakobiec's Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology: Fourth EditionThe Dangers of Sneezing: A Review of Injuries
2019, American Journal of Rhinology and AllergyMechanisms for acute corneal hydrops and perforation
2014, Eye and Contact Lens