title: Total blindness from presumed optic nerve melanocytoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe total blindness secondary to presumed optic nerve melanocytoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interventional case report.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 12-year-old African-American girl, who developed loss of light perception secondary to a pigmented lesion of the optic disk, underwent transvitreal fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the lesion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cytopathology revealed cells with features of melanocytoma and melanophages but no cells compatible with melanoma. The patient is being followed without treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Optic nerve melanocytoma can cause total blindness in the affected eye. Although it has limitations, FNAB can assist in diagnosis and management of melanocytoma with visual loss.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, 840 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. jas.cls@comcast.net
authors.forename: Jerry A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: Carol L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: Hormoz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ehya
authors.forename: Ranjit S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Dhaliwal
mesh_terms: D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000150:complications*; D019574:Optic Nerve Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*