Photoreceptors are damaged in many common eye diseases, such as macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and retinitis pigmentosa. The development of methods to promote the repair or replacement of affected photoreceptors is a major goal of vision research. In this context, it would be useful to know whether photoreceptors are capable of undergoing some degree of spontaneous regeneration after injury. We report a subject who lost retinal function in a wide zone around the optic disc, giving rise to massive enlargement of the physiological blind spot. Imaging with an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) showed depletion of cone outer segments in the affected retina. A year later visual function had improved, with shrinkage of the enlarged blind spot. AOSLO imaging showed repopulation of cone outer segments, although their density remained below normal. There was a one-to-one match between sites of formerly missing outer segments and new outer segments that had appeared over the course of the year’s recovery. This correspondence provided direct morphological evidence that damaged cones are capable, under some circumstances, of generating new outer segments.

Object. The sella turcica usually appears partially empty in MR images obtained from patients with chronic elevation of intracranial pressure. The authors measured the size of the sella turcica to determine if enlargement of the pituitary fossa explains the partially empty sella associated with pseudotumor cerebri. Methods. The medical records from 2005 to 2011 of a single neuro-ophthalmologist were searched to identify consecutive patients with pseudotumor cerebri. Age-matched control patients were selected from the same practice. The sella turcica and pituitary gland were measured on sagittal T1-weighted MR images. Results. Measurements were obtained for 48 patients with pseudotumor cerebri and 48 controls. The cross-sectional area of the sella was 38% greater in the patients with pseudotumor cerebri, with only a slight reduction in mean pituitary gland size. Conclusions. Chronic elevation of intracranial pressure is associated with bony enlargement of the sella turcica. Enlargement of the sella turcica contributes to its partially empty appearance.

The initial symptoms of myasthenia gravis are usually ptosis and diplopia. The diagnosis is often confirmed by testing for anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies or by observing the effects of intravenous edrophonium (Tensilon) injection. However, these standard tests may be negative in patients with isolated ocular findings. We present the case of an 83-year-old woman with negative serologic and Tensilon testing. She was asked to photograph herself daily. The resulting sequence of daily selfies captured striking fluctuations in her ocular alignment and ptosis. Daily selfies may be a useful strategy for confirming the clinical diagnosis of ocular myasthenia gravis.