On the influence of some opiates and antipyretics on the field of vision

Abstract

While the effect of drugs on the acuity and field of vision has as yet not been the subject of extensive study, the work extant, such as, for instance, that of Dreser 1 on the influence of strychnin on the visual function, indicates that important changes in visional perception may be produced by the ingestion of pharmacological agents. In connection with an extensive study of the effect of various antipyretics on different psychological functions, the authors have made perimetric observations for the purpose of determining whether the various drugs used exerted any influence on the field of vision. The antipyretics studied and taken by month were: Acetanilid in doses of 5 to 8 grs., acetphenetidin in doses of 5 grs., antipyrine, in doses of 4 to 8 grs., quinine in doses of 5 grs., pyramidon in doses of 5 and 6 grs., aspirin in doses of 5 and 10 grs., salol in doses of 5 and 8 grs., and certain combinations such as acetanilid plus salol, 5 grs. each; aspirin plus salol, 5 grs. each; aspirin and antipyrine, 5 grs. each; acetphenetidin plus salol, 5 grs. each, and acetanilid and acetphenetidin, 5 grs. each. The effect of these antipyretics was then compared with the action of morphine and a combination of total opium alkaloids (pantopon) administered hypodermically in ordinary therapeutic doses to the same subjects on different days. The experiments were made on the authors themselves and a few of their colleagues with an ordinary perimeter, testing the field of vision for four colors, namely, white, blue, red and green.

It was found that the opiates, morphine and pantopon, taken by injection in every case produced a definite though very slight contraction of the field of vision.