A case of acute loss of binocular vision and stereoscopic depth perception. (The misery of acute monovision, having been binocular for 68 years).
OBJECTIVE
There are few personal reports in the literature, by knowledgeable vision scientists, of the loss of binocular vision. This case is reported.


METHODS
This 68 year old retired pediatric ophthalmologist suffered an almost total loss of vision, OD, as a result of a sudden massive hemorrhage into the vitreous body from a bridging retinal vessel, which remained after repair of a spontaneous large horseshoe retinal tear. This caused significant problems with both remaining monocular vision, cognition, and space perception. It was surprisingly disabling. A diary is included.


RESULTS
The author now appreciates better: 1. that the overlap and cross compensation of monocular vision is quite significant; 2. that monocular depth perception may be impaired by any type of intervening optical media; 3. that a two dimensional world is very different and vastly inferior to a three dimensional world.


CONCLUSIONS
Such problems are not ordinarily expected or described in these circumstances, but considering what is in the literature, they may be more common and serious than assumed by eye care professionals, and should be taken into consideration in rendering eye care in similar situations. Loss of binocular vision results in a significant handicap even when the vision remaining in the good dominant eye is normal. It is truly remarkable to this victim that so many mature patients are willing to accept this situation in the form of surgical or optical monovision to avoid spectacles for presbyopia.
Romano
Paul E
PE
perxbvq@colorado.net
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D003867:Depth Perception; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D015348:Vision, Binocular; D014823:Vitreous Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications*