Question
What are the causes of optic nerve atrophy, and how should it be treated? Are there any effective methods?
Answer
In fact, optic nerve atrophy is not a name for a disease, but rather a pathological term used to describe a morphological change where any disease causes damage to retinal ganglion cells and their axons, resulting in the entire optic nerve becoming thinner. It generally occurs between the retina and the lateral geniculate body, with axonal degeneration. The clinical manifestations of optic nerve atrophy are primarily reduced vision and a gray or bluish appearance of the optic disc. Therefore, it is clear that there are many possible causes of this manifestation, especially eye diseases such as various retinal diseases, glaucoma, and eye trauma, which can all lead to optic nerve atrophy. The treatment method should be determined based on the underlying cause.