Temporary Blindness in the TUR Syndrome

The TUR syndrome is a clinical disorder consisting of circulatory, gastrointestinal, and neurologic signs that are infrequently seen in some patients undergoing endoscopic surgery of the prostate gland with the use of nonconductive irrigating fluids. Several theories of its pathogenesis have been proposed. The condition may occasionally be associated with bilateral profound loss of vision. We report a patient with the TUR syndrome who suffered bilateral temporary blindness and speculate on the etiology of the visual loss and localization of the dysfunction along the visual pathway.