Abstract
Visual deficit after spinal surgery is rare but tragic. The main causes include external
eye injury, cortical blindness, central retinal artery occlusion, and ischemic optic
neuropathy. In scoliosis surgery, this complication potentially arises from prolonged
surgical time, high blood loss, prone position, hydroelectrolytic imbalance, and cerebrospinal
fluid loss.
In 849 scoliosis correction surgeries, 3 patients developed postoperative visual deficits:
2 achieved complete visual acuity recovery, but 1 remained with partial sequelae.
There are four causes of postoperative amaurosis: ischemic optic neuropathy, central
retinal artery occlusion, external eye injury, and cortical blindness. Since the prevention
of this complication cannot be assured, it is essential to explain the risk of visual
deficits to patients undergoing scoliosis surgery, who must sign the informed consent
form.
Visual loss after spinal surgery for scoliosis correction is a rare but severe and,
sometimes, irreversible complication. The surgical team must know about this possibility
in order to adopt preventive measures and reduce its incidence.
Keywords
amaurosis - blindness, cortical - spine/surgery - scoliosis/complications
