Walsh & Hoyt: Ophthalmic Manifestations of Pituitary Tumors

While improved endocrine and neuroimaging techniques have reduced the proportion of pituitary adenoma patients with primarily neuro-ophthalmic presentations, visual loss and ophthalmoplegia remain important manifestations of pituitary adenomas and other sellar and parasellar tumors. The classic dictum that an unexplained decrease in acuity should prompt testing of the visual field to look for a bitemporal pattern of field loss remains valid. Instances of delay in the diagnosis of pituitary and other chiasmal tumors when this rule is violated abound.