[Irreversible bilateral blindness after functional neck dissection. Apropos of a case and a review of the literature].

Postoperative blindness due to ischemic optic neuropathy is a rare and dramatic complication. A review of the literature from 1960 until nowadays reveal several physiopathological mechanisms of the blindness. Through the description of their clinic case of a fourty seven years old man showing definitive postoperative blindness after sustaining surgery for epidermoid carcinoma of the mouth floor, the authors suggest as etiology the conjunction of the following factors: brain venous high pressure, head and neck oedema, hypotension and the vascular state of the patient. Special perioperative care taking in account the risk factors is needed to prevent this complication.