Ischemic optic neuropathy
Introduction Ischemic optic neuropathy refers to a group of conditions in which damage to the optic nerve is presumed to be secondary to ischemia of the optic nerve head (anterior…
Optic atrophy
Clinical background Optic atrophy can be considered the wasting of a once-healthy optic nerve. This definition excludes conditions associated with optic nerve dysplasia, hypoplasia, or aplasia in which the optic…
Optic nerve axonal injury
Overview Unlike the peripheral nervous system (PNS), in which axonal injury leads to regeneration, injury to axons of central nervous system (CNS) neurons is irreversible, and usually leads to death…
Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy
Clinical background Historical development Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited disease that presents with sudden or subacute nonsynchronous bilateral vision loss. Males in their second and third…
Giant cell arteritis
Clinical background Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a serious and relatively common systemic vasculitis that occurs in adults older than 50 years. The key symptoms and signs of GCA include…
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (idiopathic pseudotumor cerebri)
Clinical background Key symptoms and signs The signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) are headache, subjective pulse-synchronous bruit, and papilledema ( Box 39.1 ). Papilledema can cause fleeting…
Abnormal ocular motor control
Clinical background Five eye movement systems are utilized to achieve clear vision: (1) saccadic; (2) smooth pursuit; (3) optokinetic; (4) vestibulo-ocular; and (5) vergence. Four systems generate conjugate movements, called…
Intraoperative floppy iris syndrome
Overview Intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) was first characterized by Chang and Campbell in 2005. It is associated with the use of systemic α-receptor blockers, such as tamsulosin (Flomax), used…
Restoration of accommodation
Clinical background Accommodation refers to a process whereby a change in position as well as increased curvature of the crystalline lens increases the conjugation power of the eye, i.e., its…
Optic neuritis
Clinical background Optic neuritis is an inflammatory disorder of autoimmune optic nerve demyelination. It is often the first clinical sign of multiple sclerosis (MS). Optic neuritis is second only to…
