A young man with visual disturbances and a mild headache

Walker, Jerimiah D. PA-C

Jerimiah D. Walker is an emergency medicine PA resident at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in Fort Bliss, Tex. The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy of William Beaumont Army Medical Center, the Department of the Army, or the US government.

Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants 31(4):p 1-3, April 2018. | DOI: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000531047.74384.8e

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Abstract

Headaches are common presenting complaints in EDs throughout the United States. Most are benign and should be treated symptomatically. Certain historical risk factors and physical examination findings increase the likelihood of a secondary cause of headache and warrant further investigation with neuroimaging. Gross visual field testing is a critical component of the physical examination and should not be overlooked as a potential manifestation of a neurologic deficit. This article describes a patient whose headache and unilateral vision loss prompted neuroimaging that uncovered a pilocytic astrocytoma.