Optic Neuropathy after Thermal Burns Injury

The authors report a case of a burns patient who developed optic neuropathy in the absence of direct ocular injury in this observational case report. A 49-year-old man who had suffered with a burns injury 7 months prior presented with decreased vision in both eyes. The left eye had a relative afferent pupillary defect. Optic discs were pale and visual field analysis revealed the patterns of bilateral nerve fibre bundle defects. Visual evoked potential showed unobtainable P100 peaks and decreased wave amplitude. Optic neuropathy associated with burns injury has been reported very rarely. Besides its rarity, optic neuropathy as a complication of thermal injury merits greater general awareness and should be of primary concern when a burns patient develops visual impairment without direct injury to the eyelids or globes.