Treating Optic Nerve Injuries

Ivanhoe Newswire
Monday, December 1, 2003; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Researchers have developed a new protocol for treating optic nerve injuries that can help victims regain their sight.

Damage to the optic nerve occurs in about 5 percent of all head injury cases. These injuries often cause increased pressure, which leads to vascular compromise, other problems, and ultimately, blindness.

These investigators tested a protocol aimed at treating optic nerve injury in 44 patients. The protocol began with steroid injections to relieve swelling and pressure. Doctors then followed with decompression of the optic nerve using a minimally invasive technique employing an endoscopic device a small device with a camera on the end that's inserted into the eye.

The investigators found the treatment to be successful, but results were largely tied to the timing of the procedure. Seventy percent of the patients who were treated within seven days of their injury achieved visual improvement, compared to just 24 percent of those who were treated more than seven days after their injury.

The authors emphasize the steroid injections should begin as soon as the injury is suspected or diagnosed. Endoscopic optic nerve decompression is indicated any time vision fails to improve after 72 hours of steroid treatment, there is progressive visual loss during steroid treatment, or the patient experiences total blindness with evidence of optic nerve compression on a CAT scan.

They write, "Patients who present soon after injury must be treated with a combined therapy protocol for a better visual outcome."

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SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 2003;129:1203-1206