First proposed by De Wecker! in 1872 as a treatment for neuroretinitis, optic nerve sheath decompression (or fenestration) is an operation that has caused much controversy. This surgical therapy was not seriously considered until Davidson" and Smith, Hoyt, and Newton" reintroduced it in 1969 as an alternative therapy for chronic disk edema. Over the next 19 years, however, only about 60 cases o...