Optic Atrophy
Optic Atrophy means to the death cell axons of the retinal ganglion region that consists of the optic nerves with the resulting picture of a pale optic nerves on funduscopy.
Optic Atrophy is a terminal stage that arises from multiple causes of optic nerves damage along the trail from the retina to the lateral geniculate.
Optic Atrophy is linked to vision loss because the optic nerves transmits retinal information to the brain.
Optic Atrophy is somewhat of a misnomer as atrophy indicates degeneration and optic nerves damage is best termed optic neuropathy.
Since the optic nerves is that the conduit for information from the retina to the brain, a damaged optic nerves will end in vision loss.
Subtle damage won't affect acuity but may cause a loss of contrast or chromatic vision .
Severe damage may lead from legal blindness to no light perception. Loss of vision occurs within the respective field of vision thanks to the damage to a neighborhood of the optic nerves .
Removal of the damage causing factor before occurrence of apoptosis leads to some improvement in visual function. an entire diagnosis supported optic nerves appearance, tests of visual function to spot the causative factor of the damage, and rule out other causes for vision loss.
Causes of optic atrophy
The optic nerves consists of nerve fibers that transmit impulses to the brain.
There might be some interference with the optic nerve’s ability to transmit these impulses, within the case of optic atrophy.
Numerous factors can cause the interference, these include:
Glaucoma
* Stroke of the optic nerves, referred to as anterior ischemic optic neuropathy
* A tumor that's pressing on the optic nerves
* Optic neuritis, an inflammation (swelling) of the optic nerves caused by MS
* A genetic disease during which the person experiences loss of vision first in one eye, then within the other (known as Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy)
* Improper formation of the optic nerves , which may be a congenital problem (the person is born with it)
Symptoms of optic atrophy
* The symptoms of optic atrophy relate to a change in vision, specifically:
* Blurred vision
* Difficulties with peripheral (side) vision
* Difficulties with chromatic vision
* A reduction in sharpness of vision
Diagnosis
Determination of the cause for the optic nerves damage are often made with the assistance of certain disc appearances.
Giant cell arteritis could possibly end in severe optic atrophy with gliosis in an elderly person.
Glistening bodies and retinal folds could also be left within the optic nerves head as a results of the damage from papilledema.
Cupping is implicational glaucoma.
Optical Coherence Tomography has become a valuable tool to verify the status of the nerve fibre layer/ganglion axons.
Quantification of the nerve fibre layer height and comparison with normative data can document axon loss and differentiate between optic nerves and retinal disease as a cause for vision loss.
There is no real cure or treatment for optic atrophy. Therefore, it’s important to possess regular eye exams (especially if you've got a case history of eye diseases), and to ascertain your ophthalmologist immediately if you've got any changes in your vision.
OPTOMETRY-SHARP VISION
Optometrist