​

OPTIC NERVE DISORDER

​  

• Optic nerve is the wirelikestructure which transmits electric signal generated in the retina to the brain.

• Optic nerve is one of the important cranial nerves.

• Optic nerve functioning is essential to good vision and good color vision.

• Common optic nerve disorders are Optic neuritis and Optic disc edema

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

OPTIC NEURITIS 

​

• It is generally sudden, painless, loss of vision in one eye in an otherwise normal person.

• It is a medical emergency and requires emergent treatment.

• The patient’s health has to be evaluated by an ophthalmologist.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​

• The important clinical features are : reduced vision, reduced color vision, affected pupillary reaction (typically known as RAPD- Relative Afferent Pupillary Defect), sometimes pain in eye movements . 

• After a proper physician evaluation and ruling out of other disorders, the treatment is with Intravenous steroids according to the regimen prescribed by Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial (ONTT). 

• About 1% of patients with Optic Neuritis have some neurological disorder as the cause of optic neuritis and may require additional neurologic treatment.

​

OPTIC DISC EDEMA

​

• Presence of optic nerve swelling in one or both eyes may not always be due to optic neuritis.

• Sometimes, it may be related to some disorders such as 

  • -Sudden rise of Blood pressure (known as malignant hypertension)

  • -Sudden rise of Intracranial tension 

  • -Presence of a space-occupying lesion in the brain

• It is such cases which need more detailed neurological evaluation to rule out some major neurological disorder.