Permanent visual loss after shunt malfunction

Abstract

Fourteen (1.8%) of more than 800 children evaluated in a Visually Impaired Program over 10 years became permanently blind during an episode of raised intracranial pressure secondary to shunt malfunction. Visual symptoms and papilledema were recognized in only three children at the onset of blindness. Clinical and radiologic findings suggested that the loss of sight was caused by a lesion in the pregeniculate pathway in nine patients, probably due to ischemia; five children in the postgeniculate group sustained infarcts of the occipital lobes. These cases highlight the importance of parent education and prompt treatment of raised intracranial pressure due to shunt malfunction.