In optic nerve atrophy there is loss of axons and shrinkage of myelin leading to gliosis and widening of the optic cup. The optic nerve is myelinated by oligodendrocytes that do not regenerate after damage. ![]() The optic nerve is a bundle of 1.2 million axons of retinal ganglion cells that carries visual information from the retina to the brain. Risk factors run the gamut from increased intraocular pressure (glaucoma), ischemia, compression (tumors), inflammation, infection, etc. Optic atrophy can occur due to damage within the eye (glaucoma, optic neuritis, papilledema, etc.), along the path of the optic nerve to the brain (tumor, neurodegenerative disorder, trauma, etc.), or it can be congenital (Leber’s hereditary optic atrophy, autosomal dominant optic atrophy). Optic atrophy is somewhat of a misnomer as atrophy implies disuse, and thus optic nerve damage is better termed optic neuropathy.Īnything that can compromise ganglion cell function can cause (over time) optic atrophy (and more broadly optic neuropathy). Since the optic nerve transmits retinal information to the brain, optic atrophy is associated with vision loss. ![]() Optic atrophy is an end stage that arises from myriad causes of optic nerve damage anywhere along the path from the retina to the lateral geniculate. ![]() Optic atrophy refers to the death of the retinal ganglion cell axons that comprise the optic nerve with the resulting picture of a pale optic nerve on fundoscopy.
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