Cornea Cool on Left After Intracranial Surgery

Dr. James Stewart Campbell

Posted on August 1, 2018, updated on September 30, 2019

This 44 year-old female reports having a craniotomy 10 years previously (in 2004) to remove a benign tumor from her Left optic nerve.  She reports that her vision continues to be “dim” in the L eye after the surgery. She is taking no female hormone supplements or Rx medications. She was followed thermographically for the next seven years, during which time the facial thermal pattern remained stable as shown in the additional images.  The L cornea and side of the face remains cooler than the R in all images.  Control of skin flow to the face is poorly understood. The mechanism for these thermal findings may be due to reduced left facial parasympathetic tone or a reduction in sympathetic vasodilator stimulation. Note that the coolness of the L side includes the neck, indicating that reduced arterial flow is not causal in this case.

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