[Non-organic visual loss]

Abstract

Functional or non-organic visual loss is a common problem in neuro-ophthalmologic consultation. There is a mismatch between visual acuity and/or visual field and the relative normality of the clinical examination. It is important to identify these patients so as not to prescribe unnecessary ancillary testing and so as to refer patients for a treatment of a possible psychiatric disorder. Conversely, there are many organic eye pathologies with a normal or quasi-normal fundus. We have at our disposal a large number of clinical and ancillary tests to demonstrate the non-organic nature of the visual loss: clinical examination, orthoptic testing, visual field, electro-physiologic tests. A rigorous diagnostic approach is essential to diagnose non-organic visual loss while avoiding diagnostic pitfalls.

Keywords: Anorganique; Baisse d’acuité visuelle; Conversion hysteria; Conversion hystérique; Fonctionnel; Functional; Non-organic; Visual loss.