What should i be looking for in an eye exam for a patient exposed to agent orange (enough to have peripheral neuropathy)?

Peripheral neuropath: Great question! i've seen agent orange exposure a handful of times, always presenting as distal peripheral polyneuropathy--very similar to diabetic stocking/glove distribution polyneuropathy. I wasn't aware there could be eye findings; hopefully someone with more experience could weigh in? Good luck!

VGEF response: I have seen a handful of dioxin-derivative herbicide in the eye. Acutely it causes severe redness ; photophobia, no iritis but irregular corneal epithelium. Sub-acutely they all got peripheral corneal neo-vascularization. Chronic: 2 of 5 patients in their 20’s developed bilateral sub-macular neo-vascularization in 1-3yrs. So dioxin has a vgef type response in the eye.

Amyloid deposits: Amyloidosis could affect the eye or any organ and is associated with ao exposure. Diabetes is also associated so a good retinal exam may be prudent. There are a host of tumors including soft tissue tumors so a good eyelid exam and surrounding soft tissue. Lot os information is available now on the department of veterans affairs web site. http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/di.

Diabetes: Agent orange has been well recognized as a stimulant for the formation of diabetes. There is no evidence for direct damage to the eyes Diabetes, unchecked, causes eye problems and these might be found if the condition is neglected or poorly controlled. Veterans are anxious to attribute any other eye condition they might experience as being due to agent orange but none are proven.