We Didn’t See That Coming: Right Eye Blindness Post-Cardiac Surgery

Postoperative visual loss (POVL) is a very rare but devastating event that can occur post-cardiac surgery. The most common cause of POVL is vascular occlusion. We present a case of a 39-year-old male with severe mixed aortic valve disease, who had to undergo double valve replacement (mechanical) due to extensive calcification. On postoperative day 7, he complained of sudden painless loss of vision in the right eye. He was diagnosed with right eye central retinal artery occlusion and was discharged home with permanent right eye blindness. Neuro-ophthalmologic complications following non-ocular surgery occur rarely. POVL occurs more likely when there are calcified heart valvular lesions, higher perioperative blood loss, hypotension, low systolic blood pressure, anaemia, hypothermia, prolonged surgery time and age >50 years old. In our case report we have encountered a couple of risk factors for ischaemia which are heavily calcified aortic and mitral valves, lower mean arterial pressure and bypass time >5 hours. Postoperative blindness can be avery serious and devastating problem with no known or established treatment. Stroke is a well-known and established complication of cardiac surgery, but central retinal artery occlusion causing loss of vision is rarely covered and explained.