Taye Tesema, Dobranici Letitia, Fisher Mark, Cullum Sarah
Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychogeriatrics, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand; Counties Manukau District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand.
Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychogeriatrics, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
Australas Psychiatry. 2018 Apr;26(2):193-195. doi: 10.1177/1039856217749023. Epub 2018 Jan 15.
We describe a case of acute bilateral posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in a 71-year-old female, which developed during a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treatment-resistant depression. The risks and benefits of continuing ECT were assessed and the patient completed the full course of 16 ECT treatments without further ophthalmic complications.
As the incidence of PVD increases with age, and ECT is used more frequently in elderly people with depression, we recommend paying attention to ophthalmic symptoms as part of the routine clinical monitoring of ECT side effects. If ophthalmic symptoms occur, the risks and benefits of ECT need to be weighed up including consultation with an ophthalmologist.
