Source
Instituto Oftalmológico de Alicante, VISSUM, Alicante, Spain. Laria1@telefonica.net
Abstract
PURPOSE:
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.
CONCLUSION:
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.