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Title

Sudden bilateral blindness due to methanol intoxication in an abstemious patient

Purpose	To report an unusual case of methanol intoxication in a non-alcoholic man.
Methods	Report of a case of a 28 year-old man presenting as an emergency with vomiting and abdominal pain and ending in bilateral blindness.
Results	At the emergency department, the patient became unconscious and had to be intubated. A severe metabolic acidosis was found in blood tests. When awakening, the patient complained of bilateral blindness. MRI showed a bilateral putamen necrosis which, when associated with metabolic acidosis, is typically seen in methanol intoxication. As the patient had no alcoholic habits, this diagnosis was initially missed, preventing an antidote treatment in an appropriate delay. He did not recover and developed a bilateral optic nerve atrophy.
Conclusion	Methanol intoxication is rare in our country. Symptoms, managing and treatment of methanol intoxication should be known and the diagnosis suspected even in non-alcoholic patients since an early diagnosis and treatment allows a higher rate of recovery.

Author 1

Last name	NYST
Initials	BN
Department	hôpital Erasme
City	Bruxelles

Author 2

Last name	CORDONNIER
Initials	MC
Department	hôpital Erasme
City	Bruxelles