Subacute Acrylamide Intoxication with Severe Visual Disturbance: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

A 35-year-old man was admitted due to somnolence and progressive sensory-motor polyneuropathy, followed by severe visual impairment in both eyes after direct skin exposure to an acrylamide monomer solution. The results of an ophthalmological examination including central critical flicker fusion frequency and the decreased amplitude of action potentials observed in the visual evoked potential studies suggested that acrylamide intoxication resulted in neuronal degeneration in the optic pathways. Additional attention should be directed to the potential effect of acrylamide on the human visual system.

KEYWORDS:

• Acrylamide intoxication
• neurotoxicity
• visual disturbance
• visual evoked potential

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Richard M. LoPachin, Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of Research, Montefiore Medical Center, for his suggestion to promote this project.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.