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February 21, 2017; 88 (8) Clinical/Scientific Notes

Transient smartphone blindness: Relevance to misdiagnosis in neurologic practice

Saraniya Sathiamoorthi, Dean M. Wingerchuk
First published January 18, 2017, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000003639
Saraniya Sathiamoorthi
From Mayo Medical School (S.S.), Rochester, MN; and Mayo Clinic (D.M.W.), Scottsdale, AZ.
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Dean M. Wingerchuk
From Mayo Medical School (S.S.), Rochester, MN; and Mayo Clinic (D.M.W.), Scottsdale, AZ.
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Transient smartphone blindness: Relevance to misdiagnosis in neurologic practice
Saraniya Sathiamoorthi, Dean M. Wingerchuk
Neurology Feb 2017, 88 (8) 809-810; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000003639

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This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Transient smartphone blindness (TSB) was recently described in 2 women who experienced recurrent episodes of monocular vision impairment immediately after viewing a smartphone.1 This physiologic phenomenon is caused by temporarily discrepant light adaptation levels between the 2 retinae. We confirm the phenomenon of TSB and its relevance to neurologic practice, including the potential for misdiagnosis as cerebrovascular disease or multiple sclerosis (MS).

Footnotes

  • Author contributions: S. Sathiamoorthy: data acquisition, drafting and revising the manuscript for intellectual content. D. Wingerchuk: study concept and design, data acquisition and interpretation, critical revision of the manuscript for intellectual content, study supervision.

  • Study funding: No targeted funding reported.

  • Disclosure: S. Sathiamoorthy reports no disclosures relevant to the manuscript. D. Wingerchuk receives research support from Alexion and TerumoBCT and personal compensation for consulting services provided to MedImmune for a neuromyelitis optica clinical trial adjudication panel and for services as co-Editor-in-Chief of The Neurologist. Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures.

  • Received August 17, 2016.
  • Accepted in final form November 7, 2016.
  • © 2017 American Academy of Neurology
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Letters: Rapid online correspondence

  • Response: Transient smartphone blindness: Relevance to misdiagnosis in neurologic practice
    • Gregory Y. Chang, Neurohospitalist, UC Davis Medical Centergycchang@ucdavis.edu
    • Jolene Rudell, Sacramento, CA
    Submitted March 20, 2017
  • Re:Differential visual perception following monocular exposure to bright screen
    • Dean M. Wingerchuk, Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZwingerchuk.dean@mayo.edu
    • Saraniya Sathiamoorthi, Rochester, MN
    Submitted February 28, 2017
  • Differential visual perception following monocular exposure to bright screen
    • Koushik Tripathy, Ophthalmologist, Department of Vitreoretina, Uvea, and Neuro-Ophthalmology, ICARE Eye Hospital & Postgraduate Institudrkoushiktripathy@icarehospital.org
    • Trina Sengupta, New Delhi
    Submitted February 14, 2017
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