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| ARTICLES |
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| Year : 1981 | Volume
: 29
| Issue : 4 | Page : 479-480 |
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Tobacco amblyopia and its relationship to B12deficiency
M Satapathy, P Siva Reddy
Institute of Ophthalmology and Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, Hyderabad, India
Correspondence Address:
M Satapathy
Institute of Ophthalmology and Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, Hyderabad
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
PMID: 7346481 
How to cite this article:
Satapathy M, Reddy P S. Tobacco amblyopia and its relationship to B12deficiency. Indian J Ophthalmol 1981;29:479-80 |
How to cite this URL:
Satapathy M, Reddy P S. Tobacco amblyopia and its relationship to B12deficiency. Indian J Ophthalmol [serial online] 1981 [cited 2020 Dec 4];29:479-80. Available from: https://www.ijo.in/text.asp?1981/29/4/479/30959 |
The association of tobacco amblyopia, pernicious anaemia and its response to hydroxy cobalamine is well known. A typical picture of tobacco amblyopia in cases of pernicious anaemia and responding with B12 therapy.
It appears that hydroxy cabalamine helps in detoxicating the cyanides present in the tobacco by converting into thyocynates and they are excreted in the urine. Since estimation of cyanides is a difficult procedure, an attempt has been made to study the serum B12 and Thyocynates (the end products of cyanide in the urine) in the series of 54 cases of Tobacco amblyopia with a control group of 20 normal cases. Similarly analysis was done in group of 20 smokers without any manifestations of tobacco amblyopia and the results are evaluated.
| Material and methods | |  |
54 patients with almost normal fundus not improving with glasses and with history of addiction to tobacco are taken in present series. The detailed history, occupation, socioeconomic status, dietary habbits and other addiction are recorded. The routine examination of vision, fundus and fields are recorded.
The estimation of Vitamin B12 was done by biological methods taking the microorganisms Euglena graclis. Urinary thyocynates were estimated by calorimetric method.
| Observations | | |
The tobacco chewing is prevelant among females and 55.5% of them are included in this series. cigar smoking is common in young males, particularly among the poor and they are victims of this malady. Inhalation of tobacco products contributed only 4". The commonest complaint - among the patients, being defective vision for distance. The clinical picture is summarized in [Table - 1],[Table - 2],[Table - 3],[Table - 4],[Table - 5],[Table - 6].
It is evident that thyocynates are decreased in the urine after cessation of smoking.
Results of Therapy
There is rapid improvement of the clinical picture after 20 days with 500 micro grams of Hydroxycobalamine in 48 (90%) cases. The 6 (10%) of cases are refractive to treatment due to irreversable changes in the papillomacular bundle as evidenced by temporal pallor of disc, macular stippling and contracted visual fields.
[Table - 1], [Table - 2], [Table - 3], [Table - 4], [Table - 5], [Table - 6]
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