Overview
Postoperative vision loss is a rare but devastating complication
of non-ophthalmic surgery. Patients have developed visual
deficits or complete blindness in one or both eyes following
uneventful cardiac, spine, vascular, reconstructive and other
surgical procedures. Ischemic optic neuropathy (ION)
is one common diagnosis. The American Society of Anesthesiologists'
Committee on Professional Liability has established this international
Registry to investigate the mechanism of perioperative ION.
Note to patients
The ASA Postoperative Visual Loss Registry is primarily designed to aid physicians
in improving their clinical practice. We are sorry we cannot address individual
patient questions or provide medical or legal advice. You may wish to view a
handout in PDF we have made that the summarizes the issues of postoperative
visual loss.
