On July 16 I excised the right superior cervical ganglion without difficulty, and on July 7 she counted fingers at seven feet with the left eye, and could see the hand at four inches with the right. I examined her on July 20, when vision remained the same, the tension of the right eye was + 1, and of the left + 2. She was well pleased to have the small amount of vision she possessed.
CASE III.—SYMPATHECTOMY FOR OPTIC-NERVE ATROPHY.
T. J., aged forty-six, an inmate of the St. Louis City Hospital, a laborer, was admitted on account of blindness. There was no history of syphilis, rheumatism, nor any systemic disease. The patient was of limited mentality. No history of his family could be obtained. He claimed to have had good health all his life, with the exception of an attack of malarial fever several years ago. The patient had been a moderate drinker of alcoholic beverages. In appearance he was robust, and he complained only of loss of vision which, in the left eye, had been failing for eleven months, in the right for seventeen weeks, according to his statement. Until seventeen weeks before this he could see enough with the right eye to get around. Since then vision had steadily declined until he had light perception only—and this only apparent when light was concentrated on the eye by the ophthalmoscopic mirror. Vision of the left eye = 0.
The pupils were widely dilated. The ophthalmoscope showed, in the right eye, a white disk, particularly on the temporal side; the arteries slightly reduced in caliber, veins normal. There was shallow, atrophic cupping of the nerve head. The retina and choroid were normal, the vitreous and lens clear. The left eye showed a disk of a dead white color throughout the whole area, arteries very small, atrophic excavation pronounced, veins reduced in caliber, and choroid normal. The macula was not visible in this eye, owing to the much-reduced blood-supply. The vitreous and lens were clear. Vision was as follows: R. E. = perception of concentrated light. L. E. = 0.
_Diagnosis._—R. E. = optic-nerve atrophy. L. E. = complete atrophy of optic nerve and retina.
_Treatment_: Resection of the right superior cervical ganglion of the sympathetic was done. The operation was followed by conjunctival congestion, lachrymation and contraction of the pupil, slight ptosis and hypotonia.