Question
A 27-year-old woman reported excessive computer use in her youth, leading to a diagnosis of optic nerve atrophy last year. She inquires whether optic nerve atrophy can be alleviated.
Answer
Optic nerve atrophy is not a disease itself but a manifestation. It refers to a situation where the optic nerve becomes swollen and loses function due to damage to retinal ganglion cells and their axons, caused by various diseases affecting the eye. Optic nerve atrophy can be classified into primary and secondary types. The former includes conditions such as retrobulbar neuritis, orbital tumors, and hereditary optic neuropathy (e.g., Leber disease), while the latter may be caused by papillitis, retinal vasculitis, or central retinal artery occlusion. Once the atrophy phase has set in, treatment effectiveness is often poor, and recovery is difficult.