Injured retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons do not regenerate spontaneously, causing loss of vision in glaucoma and after trauma. Recent studies have identified several strategies that induce long distance regeneration in the optic nerve. Thus, a pressing question now is whether regenerating RGC axons can find their appropriate targets. Traditional methods of assessing RGC axon regeneration use h...

Vascular luminal castings of rabbit eyes were microdissected and studied with scanning electron microscopy to elucidate the three-dimensional angioarchitecture of the optic nerve head. Using sequential microdissection, an incomplete arterial circle was identified as terminal branches of two to three short posterior ciliary arteries around the optic nerve head. Several recurrent branches from th...

The aim of the present study was to determine the distribution of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in the mouse retina and optic nerve of the prenatal and postnatal mouse by immunohistochemistry. At embryonic day (E) 18, chondroitin-4-sulfate (C4S), chondroitin-6-sulfate (C6S) and biglycan were detected in the retina and optic nerve. However, aggrecan was seen in the retina but not in the opti...

Six patients with open-angle glaucoma and acquired pit-like changes in the optic nerve head are presented. In 1 patient evolution of the pit-like defect is documented. In all 6 patients progression of associated visual field deficits is described. It is suggested that such pit-like changes in selected patients with glaucoma may not represent congenital lesions but rather local, progressive nerv...

Pathological optic disc cupping (ODC) is predominantly referred to as glaucoma; however, it is not only glaucoma that leads to pathological optic disc excavation. A number of other nonglaucomatous diseases also result in optic atrophy and excavation of the optic disc. Therefore, in the present study, the etiology of nonglaucomatous optic disc cupping (NGODC) was analyzed and differentiated from...

Cranial nerve lesions often accompany head trauma. Olfactory, facial and vestibular nerves are the most commonly injured nerves. Optic and oculomotor nerve injuries are less frequently involved, and trigeminal, abducens and lower cranial nerves are rarely involved. The injury may occur in central nervous system or in the lower motor unit. Traumatic bilateral abducens paralysis is a very rare oc...

Despite a massive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) after optic nerve crush (ONC) in hooded rats only a minor increase in retinal glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactivity was found in the inner retina. Interestingly, a combination of ONC with the administration of the proinflammatory agent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but not LPS alone induces increased GFAP-immunoreactivi...

To cite: Campbell TG, Razavi H, Turner AW. BMJ Case Rep Published online: [please include Day Month Year] doi:10.1136/bcr-2014204305 DESCRIPTION A young Afghani man detained in an immigration centre 1500 miles from tertiary eye care presented to an outreach ophthalmology clinic in a remote part of Australia with a history of long-standing visual loss. He reported being blinded in a suicide bomb...

The regenerative failure of mammalian optic axons is partly mediated by Socs3-dependent inhibition of Jak/Stat signaling (Smith et al., 2009, 2011). Whether Jak/Stat signaling is part of the normal regenerative response observed in animals that exhibit an intrinsic capacity for optic nerve regeneration, such as zebrafish, remains unknown. Nor is it known whether the repression of regenerative i...

Radiation-induced optic neuropathy (RION) is a rare but devastating late complication of radiotherapy, usually manifesting months to years after cancer treatment of the head and neck, resulting in rapidly progressive blindness in one or both eyes. The incidence of radiation-induced complications following radiotherapy, especially RION, is correlated with survival time of patients. Nasopharyngea...