Ischemic optic neuropathy after lumbar spine surgery

Ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common cause of visual complications after non-ophthalmic surgery. The incidence has varied in different case series, but prone-position spine surgery appears to be involved in most of the reports. We present the case of a 47-year-old woman who developed near total blindness in the left eye following lumbar spine fusion surgery involving the loss of 900 mL of blood. An ophthalmic examination including inspection of the ocular fundus, fluorescein angiography, and visual evoked potentials returned a diagnosis of retrolaminar optic neuropathy. Outcome was poor.