US EPA

1144988 

Journal Article 

A Study of the Histopathological Changes in the Retina and Late Changes in the Visual Field in Acute Methyl Alcohol Poisoning 

Mcgregor, IS 

1943 

Yes 

British Journal of Ophthalmology
ISSN: 0007-1161
EISSN: 1468-2079 

NIOSH/00128444 

27 

523-543 

Histopathological changes in the retina and long term changes in the visual field were studied in human victims of acute methyl-alcohol (67561) (methanol) poisoning. Retinas of four persons were examined at autopsy using routine hemalum and eosin staining and bulk sectioning methods. Serial sections of the optic nerves were examined after staining with hematoxylin and eosin, by Marchi's method, and by a rapid stain for myelin. Changes in the visual field were studied on two occasions in four patients more than 1 year after acute methanol intoxication. These patients had ingested between 1.5 and 6.0 ounces of methanol. No changes in retinal ganglion cells which were attributable to methanol were found at autopsy, either in lipoid changes in ganglion cells, or in size and shape of the ganglion cells or the nuclear content. Similarly, optic nerve sections showed no abnormality. All four of the patients examined at followup had been blind in the acute stage. At followup, one patient had no defect in vision, and the second patient had a bilateral central scotoma. The third patient had an absolute scotoma in one eye and normal vision in the other eye. The fourth patient had a central scotoma with good vision and normal vision in the other eye. The author cautions that the failure to find histopathology in retinae of autopsied eyes may be due to the short interval between methanol ingestion and death, or suboptimal postmortem conditions. 

DCN-120252; Eye damage; Eye disorders; Poisons; Cytotoxic effects; Eye examinations; Histology; Physiological response; Toxic effects; Laboratory testing