Question

My childhood friend has returned to her hometown for seven or eight years. After reuniting in high school and being invited to her house, I discovered she has a brother with eyes that seem not very sharp. It turns out he has optic nerve atrophy. I want to ask, what causes optic nerve atrophy?

Answer

The causes of optic nerve atrophy are quite diverse and cannot be attributed to a single specific factor. A common type ischemic optic neuropathy, which occurs due to insufficient or interrupted blood supply to the optic nerve caused by various bodily diseases, particularly in conditions such as brain edema or spinal cord compression, which are more prone to trigger optic nerve atrophy. The following are several main causes of optic nerve atrophy:

  1. Compressive Optic Nerve Atrophy.
  2. Ischemic Optic Nerve Atrophy.
  3. Inflammatory Optic Nerve Atrophy.