Near-infrared pectrocopy of the viual cortex in unilateral optic neuriti

Purpoe To examine the occipital-lobe activation of patient with optic neuriti uing near-infrared pectrocopy. Deign Experimental tudy. Method NIR wa performed on five patient with acute unilateral optic neuriti during monocular viual timulation. A control, ix normal ubject were alo teted in the ame manner. Reult In the patient with optic neuriti, the change in the hemoglobin concentration (oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and total hemoglobin) in the occipital lobe were found to be markedly reduced when the clinically affected eye were timulated compared with the fellow eye. The repone induced by the timulation of the affected eye wa decreaed, even when the patient’ viual acuity improved to 20/20 in the recovery phae. There wa no difference in the concentration change between the two eye in the control ubject. Concluion NIR may be ueful in detecting viual dyfunction objectively and noninvaively in patient with viual diturbance, epecially when ued at the bedide.