What is Optic Atrophy?
Optic atrophy affects the part of the eye which carries impulses from the eye to the brain. Known as the optic nerve, damage to this nerve or a wasting away of this nerve, leads to optic atrophy.
Optic atrophy can cause vision impairment, including blindness in more severe cases. Some of the main symptoms of the condition include, blurred vision, difficulties with peripheral, colour and sharpness of vision.
There is no treatment for optic atrophy. Once the nerves are damaged, they can not be repaired. The key to management of the condition is early detection and intervention to prevent more damage.
Understanding eye-related symptoms and features
Symptoms may affect multiple parts of the body. Understanding which part of the body a symptom affects, can help us to better understand the potential underlying causes of a symptom, including a rare disease or genetic syndrome.
The eye is a part of the ocular and vision systems of the body. The ocular system includes the eye and its central vision system (cornea, lens, eye fluids), all of the parts which make vision possible.
Symptoms affecting the eyes may be congenital, present at birth, or they may develop later in life. Sometimes surgery may be an option to correct them.
Symptoms relating to the eyes may affect their structure and function including their ability to see, other times they may simply affect the shape or appearance of the eye without any impact on vision.
The optic disc, where the optic nerve connects to the retina, may appear pale or swollen during an eye examination, indicating degeneration of the optic nerve fibers.
What should I do next?
In some instances, optic atrophy may be one of the features of a rare disease or genetic syndrome. To find out if someone with Optic Atrophy, may be due to a genetic syndrome, it is important to have a consultation and evaluation with a clinical genetic specialist. Specialists may also suggest specific genetic testing or other types of tests to help reach a diagnosis. FDNA’s AI technology can help speed up the diagnostic process by analyzing facial features and other health information.