title: Conversion visual loss: a differential diagnosis in infant amblyopia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the first case of amblyopia due to a conversion disorder in a child.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 9-year-old girl without allergies or family or personal antecedents of interest presented to our clinic. She manifested a progressive visual loss after an episode of lumbar pain. This progressive loss led the patient in a 6-month period to legal bilateral blindness: visual acuity inferior to 2/20 in both eyes and severe constriction of both visual fields.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several pathologic processes were discarded by means of multiple explorations and a general multidisciplinary analysis: physical pathology, simulating patient, schizophrenia, and the Briquet syndrome. Finally, she was diagnosed with a conversion somatoform disorder leading to a bilateral blindness. For 6 months, the patient was successfully treated with psychotherapy and a pharmacologic protocol. Total recovery was achieved with final visual acuity of 20/20 in both eyes and normal visual fields.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Conversion disorders should be considered as an additional etiology of visual loss in children. In these cases, the analysis and multidisciplinary treatment is crucial for a successful outcome.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Oftalmológico de Alicante, VISSUM, Alicante, Spain. Laria1@telefonica.net
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Laria
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: David Pablo
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Pinero
authors.forename: José Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Moreno
authors.forename: Jorge L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Aliò
mesh_terms: D000550:Amblyopia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008140:Lorazepam; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; C023842:lormetazepam