A clinical evaluation of optic neuropathy in various aetiologies

Abstract

Background: Since optic neuropathy is the initial manifestation of various systemic disorders, it is essential to do detailed investigations to arrive at the diagnosis. This aids in timely management of underlying systemic disorders and prevents not only the visual disability but also the complications of underlying disease. Many studies focus on individual aetiologies of optic neuropathy, but only few studies provide information about various aetiologies of optic neuropathy. Aim: To determine the clinical profile of patients diagnosed with optic neuropathy and to evaluate the varied aetiologies of optic neuropathies. Methodology: All clinically diagnosed patients of optic neuropathy with defective vision, visual field defect, colour vision defect and abnormal pupillary response attending the neurology and ophthalmology department in Thanjavur Medical College from January 2019 to May 2020 were taken up for the study. Results: Eighty-three patients of clinically diagnosed optic neuropathy, who presented at Thanjavur Medical College, were studied during the period of January 2019–May 2020. The most common aetiology of optic neuropathy was idiopathic optic neuritis followed by ischemic and traumatic optic neuropathy. Conclusion: This study addressed an increase in the incidence of traumatic and ischemic optic neuropathies when compared to other studies. Thus, ischemic and traumatic optic neuropathies need more attention for the future researches.