👁️ Special Senses🟢 BasicOptic Nerve Disorders

Optic Atrophy

Wasting of the optic nerve fibres, seen as a pale optic disc, causing a loss of vision that cannot be reversed.

Key points

Optic atrophy is the death of nerve fibres in the optic nerve, the final result of many diseases that damage the nerve.
The optic disc, normally pink, becomes pale or white because the fibres and their tiny blood vessels are lost.
It causes reduced sharpness of vision, loss of colour vision and a field defect, depending on the cause.
Causes include long-standing raised pressure on the nerve, a poor blood supply, inflammation, toxins and inherited disease.
The loss is permanent, because the optic nerve fibres, once dead, do not grow back.

Memory trick

Optic atrophy is death of optic nerve fibres, giving a pale or white disc; reduced sharpness, colour loss and a field defect; causes are pressure, poor blood supply, inflammation, toxins; it is permanent.

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👁️ Special Senses🟢 BasicOptic Nerve Disorders

Optic Atrophy

Wasting of the optic nerve fibres, seen as a pale optic disc, causing a loss of vision that cannot be reversed.

Key points

Optic atrophy is the death of nerve fibres in the optic nerve, the final result of many diseases that damage the nerve.
The optic disc, normally pink, becomes pale or white because the fibres and their tiny blood vessels are lost.
It causes reduced sharpness of vision, loss of colour vision and a field defect, depending on the cause.
Causes include long-standing raised pressure on the nerve, a poor blood supply, inflammation, toxins and inherited disease.
The loss is permanent, because the optic nerve fibres, once dead, do not grow back.

Memory trick

All of Ophthalmology More Special Senses