An unusual cause of diplopia and blurred vision in a patient with renal insufficiency

We report the interesting case of a 75-year-old patient who presented with sudden onset of diplopia and a blurred vision of the right eye. Recurrent headaches in the temporal region were reported as further symptoms. Clinical examination revealed abduction restriction on the right side and bilateral vascular congestion in the anterior segment of the eye, and marked chemosis. As relevant pre-existing conditions, the patient had severe hypertension, long-standing nicotine abuse (>50py), 3-vessel coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction 33 years ago, and cardiac bypass surgery five years ago. Furthermore, the patient suffered from chronic renal failure stage G5D, according to Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI), with the need for dialysis. For this reason, a polytetrafluoroethylene loop shunt was created on the right cubital region five years ago, which underwent thrombectomies one year ago and three months ago. During the last revision, the shunt was extended to the internal jugular vein to improve patency, which was not reported by the patient with a language barrier, and no documentation from the external hospital was available.

Publication History

Received: 08 January 2023

Accepted after revision: 22 March 2023

Article published online:
22 June 2023