People should visit a doctor immediately if they suddenly develop double vision or if they develop skew deviation, as such symptoms can be fatal if untreated.
Taipei Shu Tien Clinic doctor Huang Chi-hsun (黃啟訓) said the clinic had one case of double vision, also known as diplopia, and one of skew deviation, which were diagnosed as directly affecting the third, fourth and sixth cranial nerves.
The three pairs of nerves in the cranial nervous system coordinate eye movement, and damage to any one of the three can cause skew deviation, Huang said.
Photo: Chou Yan-yu, Taipei Times
The first case was the sudden development of diplopia in a 35-year-old patient surnamed Liu (劉), Huang said.
A computed tomography scan showed that the patient had sustained a brainstem aneurism, which was placing pressure on the patient’s third cranial nerve, Huang said.
The clinic performed surgery to remove the aneurism, Huang said, adding that had it not been removed, the patient could have sustained a cerebral hemorrhage.
An aneurysm occurs when part of an artery wall weakens, allowing it to widen abnormally or balloon out, which could be congenital or due to arteriosclerosis, which can occur with age or due to hyperglycemia, hypertension or hyperlipidemia, Huang said.
Liu’s vision returned to normal following the surgery, Huang added.
The second case involved a 79-year-old who had been diagnosed with diabetes, Huang said.
The patient visited the clinic after developing skew deviation and double vision, and had a glycated hemoglobin level of 8.2 — the standard for diabetics is 7, Huang said.
The patient was diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy, which damaged the fourth and sixth cranial nerves, Huang said, adding that the condition was due to improper blood sugar level control, which led to arteriosclerosis.
After medication and stricter blood sugar level control, the patient’s condition has stabilized, Huang said.
Patients with sudden development of skewed deviation or diplopia who are not in any pain should see a doctor to rule out the possibility of an aneurism, Huang said.
If not treated in time, aneurisms are fatal when they burst, Huang said, adding that diabetics should monitor their blood sugar levels.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS