• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Optic nerve atrophy

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Definition:

Optic nerve atrophy involves tissue death of the nerve that carries the information of vision from the eye to the brain.

Alternative Names:

Second cranial nerve atrophy

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

There are many unrelated causes of optic atrophy. The most common cause is poor blood flow, called ischemic optic neuropathy, which most often affects the elderly. The optic nerve can also be damaged by shock, various toxic substances, radiation, and trauma.

Various eye diseases, most commonly glaucoma, can also cause optic nerve atrophy. In addition, the condition can be caused by diseases of the brain and central nervous system, such as cranial arteritis (sometimes called temporal arteritis), multiple sclerosis , brain tumor, and stroke .

There are also several rare forms of hereditary optic nerve atrophy that affect children and young adults.

• Review Date: 9/1/2006
• Reviewed By: Manju Subramanian, MD, Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology, Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery, Boston University Eye Associates, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.