Discussion:
Methanol poisoning can cause vision loss with damage to the visual pathways3. Studies have shown that the myelin sheath of the retrolaminar optic nerve is selectively vulnerable to methanol poisoning due to its anatomical structure 4,5. Accumulation of formic acid metabolites is the cause of retinal and optic nerve damage. Depending on the severity of the poisoning and the duration of exposure to formic acid, this damage to visual structures may cause permanent vision loss 6. Visual impairment due to methanol poisoning usually occurs bilaterally, but rare cases of unilateral vision damage have also been reported in two studies6,7. which they stated may be due to anatomical or structural variation. Treatment maybe the reason of vision improvement and some studies have reported improvement in vision loss after poisoning treatment8, but the return of vision was not symmetrical in our patient’s eyes.
In conclusion such abnormal case reports can help to raise awareness of the diversity of the sequela of methanol poisoning.
Conflict of interest :
The authors declare there is no conflict of interest.