The Neuro-ophthalmology service at the Massachusetts General Hospital is located within one of the most vibrant and comprehensive medical centers in the world. Less than a quarter mile from the Massachusetts Eye Infirmary, we can provide neuro-ophthalmic consultation to patients with virtually any problem.

Appointments

To make an appointment with Misha Pless, MD, call our office at 617-724-5788 or 617-726-5533. Our fax number is 617-726-6991. Questions may be e-mailed to Amy Leary at ALEARY1@PARTNERS.ORG

About Neuro-opthamology

What is Neuro-opthamology?

Neuro-ophthalmology is a specialty that is concerned with visual symptoms arising from diseases of the brain and its connections.

A neuro-ophthalmologist is a physician who has trained in either neurology and/or ophthalmology, with subspecialty training through an advanced neuro-ophthalmology fellowship.

Neuro-ophthalmologists have unique abilities to evaluate patients from neurologic, ophthalmologic, and medical standpoints to diagnose and treat a wide variety of problems, including those associated with visual loss or symptoms related to abnormal eye movements. Our physicians’ specialized training allows them to diagnose the origin of visual symptoms caused by problems within the optic nerve or its connections to the visual portions of the brain. They are also able to clarify retinal problems, which may also sometimes present with along with or mimicking neurological symptoms.

Costly medical testing is often avoided by seeing a neuro-ophthalmologist.

Although some problems seen by neuro-ophthalmologist are not worrisome, other conditions can lead to permanent visual loss or even become life threatening. Sometimes the problem is confined to the optic nerve or the nervous system and other times it is related to a general medical condition.

Vision

Because so much of the brain’s capacity is dedicated to visual function it is not unusual for many categories of neurological disease to affect vision in some way. Any of several processes may affect the optic nerve or its connections, including stroke, inflammation, multiple sclerosis or tumors. Difficulty within these regions often produces misalignment of the eyes resulting in double vision.

Some of the common problems evaluated by Neuro-ophthalmologists include: optic nerve problems (such as optic neuritis and ischemic optic neuropathy), visual field loss, unexplained visual loss, transient visual loss, visual disturbances, double vision, abnormal eye movements, thyroid eye disease, myasthenia gravis, unequal pupil size, and eyelid abnormalities.

Other Conditions

Other conditions diagnosed and treated by a neuro-ophthalmologist include pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension), multiple sclerosis, pituitary region tumors, and temporal arteritis affecting vision.

Resources