Profile Of Geriatric Patients In A Neuro-Ophthalmology Outpatient Clinic

Abstract

Introduction: To determine the clinical profile of geriatric patients in a neuroophthalmology outpatient clinic of a tertiary center. Materials and Method: Retrospective evaluation of medical records from the institutional database, including patients aged >= 65 years who were treated by the same neuroophthalmologist, was performed. Results: A total of 99 (52 F, 47 M) geriatric patients were analyzed. Mean age was 72.14 +/- 5.26 years. The most frequent complaint was visual loss (48.9%), followed by oculomotor abnormalities (38.7%). Thirty-eight of 48 patients had permanent visual loss, whereas 10 had transient visual loss. Patients with permanent visual loss were older than those with transient visual loss (mean ages of 73.05 +/- 5.85 and 68.5 +/- 2.84 years, respectively (p=0.022)]. Diplopia was the primary symptom, followed by ptosis in the oculomotor group. Conclusion: Neuro-ophthalmological diseases have many manifestations in the aging population. Physiological changes and risk factors associated with aging may lead to different complaints from young adults. This study contributed to the neuro-ophthalmological profile of Turkish geriatric patients.