A systematic approach with practical tips to diagnose and manage optic disc pallor. Disc pallor is often encountered in the routine clinical practice and remains a diagnostic enigma for most ophthalmologist. I illustrate the relevant practical points to be looked out for to deal with disc pallor.
2. OVERVIEW
• INTRODUCTION
• IMPORTANT POINTS IN HISTORY
• IMPORTANT POINTS IN EXAMINATION
• RELEVANT INVESTIGATIONS
• MANAGEMENT
• CASE EXAMPLE
3. • Rule out the mimics
• Clinical diagnosis
• Classify
– Pattern of optic disc appearance
– Etiology
• Investigations to confirm diagnosis
• Assess visual prognosis (progressive / static)
• Management (if needed)
4. INTRODUCTION
• End result of a number of pathologic
processes leading to loss of axonal fibres and
their replacement by glial tissue
• Normal color is salmon pink
– Vascularity
– Proportional glial and axonal elements
5. • Pale appearance due to
– Decreased vascularity
– Capillary dropout
– Gliosis
– Increased visibility of scleral laminae
6. AIM OF CLINICAL EVALUATION
• To determine the possible cause of the disc pallor
and whether this is due to
– An ongoing process which is likely to progress
• Ischemic / compressive
– Result of a previous one time insult
• Inflammatory / toxic / traumatic
• Visual prognosis
• Any intervention needed at present
7. DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
• Optic atrophy
• Disc coloboma
• Optic pit
• Morning glory syndrome
• Medullated nerve fibres
• Myopic disc
• Optic disc drusen
• Optic disc hypoplasia
Should be kept in
mind while looking
at a pale disc
16. TEMPORAL PALLOR
• Carries papillomacular bundle
• Most active fibres with high metabolic activity
• Travel through the centre of the optic nerve
– Others report them being scattered throughout
the nerve
• Vulnerable to ischemic insult
19. FEATURE PRIMARY SECONDARY CONSECUTIVE
APPEARANCE Chalky white Dirty grey white Waxy pallor
MARGINS Well defined Ill defined Well defined
LAMINA CRIBROSA Well seen Obscured Well seen
VESSELS Normal Peripapillary
sheathing
Attenuation
SURROUNDING
RETINA
Healthy Hyaline bodies /
drusen
Pathology seen
23. MANAGEMENT
• Irreversible loss of acuity / field
• ISCHEMIC :
– Hypercholesterolemia
– Low dose aspirin
– Vascular surgery
– Pentoxifylline
– Steroids in acute stage (not recommended)
24. • INFLAMMATORY
– Immunosuppressants
– Prognosticate for MS
• COMPRESSIVE
– According to the lesion
– Thyroid
• TRAUMATIC
– Pale disc is indicator of irreversible damage
• TOXIC / NUTRITIONAL
– Avoid exposure
– Vitamin supplementation
25. CASE
• 35-year-old man with diabetes (5 yrs ; on
insulin)
• 2 months of blurred vision in his left eye with
near work
• No ocular history and never used spectacles
• No family history
• No history of trauma
• Non smoker / alcohol user
Ocular Surgery News U.S. Edition, September 15, 2007
Isabel M. Balderas, MD; Thomas R. Hedges, MD
26. • Vision (best corrected)
– Right 6/6 left 6/60
– No anisometropia
• Impaired color vision left
eye
• Anterior segment normal
• Circumpapillary
telangiectatic vessels
• No evidence of DR
27. • MRI BRAIN : normal study
• NUTRITIONAL INIDCES : normal
• Suspected LHON
• 11778 glycine to alanine mutation
DISC PALLOR IS NOT TO BE
IGNORED