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AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
the editorial boards
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T H E AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
O P H T H A L M O L O G Y . Earlier she served as a section editor of the "Survey of Oph thalmology" and prepared reviews on the retina and optic nerve for the "Archives of Ophthalmology" in 1960,1961, and 1962. Dr. Klien remained scientifically active until her death. She reviewed fundus slides for staff members of the University of Chicago and participated in JOURNAL editorial activities. She was a skilled pi anist, read widely in philosophy and his tory, and was a knowledgeable, sympa thetic consultant. She is survived by her husband William F. Moncreiff and her brother. FRANK W. N E W E L L
CORRESPONDENCE Letters to the Editor must be typed double-spaced on 8V2 x 11-inch bond paper, with 1 V2-inch margins on all four sides, and limited in length to two man uscript pages.
MARCH, 1979
tensifier viewer can also be used satisfac torily for routine transscleral transillumination testing in which abnormalities of the posterior segment of the globe create a shadow in the normal round homoge neous pupillary glow. I am likewise using these two viewing instruments success fully in conjunction with indirect ophthalmoscopy, in simple choroidoscopy, 1 and in biomicroscopic choroidoscopy, 2 whereby choroidal structures, hemor rhages, pigmented nevi, and melanotic tumors are well brought out, even through hazy media. SAMUEL W. C O H E N ,
M.D.
Brooklyn, New York REFERENCES 1. Cohen, S. VV.: Choroidoscopy. Am. J. Ophthal mol. 51:833, 1961. 2. Cohen, S. W., Banko, VV., and Cohen, H. H.: Biomicroscopical choroidoscopy. Arch. Ophthal mol. 94:1618, 1976.
Amaurosis and Blood Loss Infrared Viewer and Image Intensifier Editor: Previously I described testing of Bell's phenomenon through the closed eyelids using transocular, transcutaneous transillumination (Testing of Bell's phenome non, Am. J. Ophthalmol. 84:735, 1977). This technique is useful in patients with white or lightly pigmented skin, but in darkly pigmented individuals the pupil lary glow transmitted through the skin may sometimes be difficult to see. How ever, if one uses an infrared viewing instrument or an image intensifier viewer, such as that used for night vision surveil lance, which provides a luminous gain of 50,000 times (both available from Velotron Corporation, 6517 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11219), the pupil lary glow is easily visible. The infrared viewer and the image in
Editor: In reviewing the article, "Amaurosis and Blood Loss," by K. M. Klewin, R. E. Appen, and P. L. Kaufman, the authors apparently omitted several diagnostic possibilities and important avenues of investigation. Certainly one possibility not even mentioned in the article is the likelihood of nutritional amblyopia in this chronic alcoholic and obviously poorly nourished patient of long dura tion. Another possibility based both on dietary history and the history of gastro intestinal surgery is the possibility of pernicious anemia. Serum B-12 and folate levels, and a search for heavy metal intox ication may have been fruitful. Methanol abuse is another possibility in the consid eration of drug abuse. No description of the peripheral blood smear was given, no red blood cell indices were noted, and no bone marrow examination was per-