Functional Visual Loss: Diagnosis, Pearls, and Pitfalls

The notion of functional vision loss dates to antiquity (1). Given its longstanding history and presence in religious, mythological, and literary contexts, it is not surprising that functional vision loss been described using different terms. Hysterical vision loss, factitious vision loss, ocular conversion reaction, psychogenic visual disturbances, and many other terms all share a common thread of attributing the process to a psychiatric cause.