CONCLUSIONS

Visual loss can result in the perioperative period from RAO, ION, cortical blindness, or acute glaucoma. Transient visual loss may occur after TURP. The most serious injuries that are most likely to result in blindness are RAO and ION. Even with avoidance of inadvertent pressure on the eye, many of these complications still occur, particularly after spine, cardiac, and head and neck surgery. The etiology of many of the injuries appears to multifactorial, but the risk factors remain incompletely explained, and more studies are necessary.