How is optic nerve damage treated?

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asked Aug 2, 2022 in Eye Health by Glorybee (14,280 points)
How is optic nerve damage treated?

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answered Aug 2, 2022 by Wotsonyourbag (11,700 points)
Optic nerve damage is treated through steroid medications that are given through IV.

The optic nerve cannot be repaired or repair itself or regenerate once damage.

Although in some cases, steroid medications are used to reduce inflammation in the optic nerve.

It takes between 6 to 12 months for the optic nerve to heal although you should get most of your vision back within a few months.

The optic nerve can heal some if it's not too severely damaged.

However optic nerve damage cannot be reversed or cured because the cable of nerve fibers doesn't have the capacity to regenerate, or heal itself, when damage occurs.

The optic nerve can take up to 6 to 12 months to heal completely, although most people will recover as much vision as they are going to within the first few months.

You can improve your optic nerve health by avoiding stress, anxiety, keeping your blood pressure lowered and eating foods such as green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and collards.

Salmon, tuna, and other oily fish.

Eggs, nuts, beans, and other non meat protein sources.

Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices.

Taking vitamins that are good for optic nerve health can also help improve your optic nerve health.

The vitamins that are good for the optic nerve are Vitamins B1, B12 and B6 which are essential vitamins for overall nerve health and optic nerve health.

A lack of the B1, B12 and B6 vitamins can lead to issues with your eyes and optic nerve.

A brain tumor can cause optic nerve damage because the brain tumor can put pressure on the optic nerve.

When a brain tumor exerts enough pressure on your optic nerve, blindness can occur.

And for many people, the loss of vision is gradual, beginning with blurry vision, double vision or an increasing blind spot.

As the brain tumor grows, however, it will then compress the optic nerve, resulting in greater vision loss.

Optic nerve damage can cause headaches.

Other eye conditions that can cause headaches are.

Farsightedness or presbyopia (difficulty seeing objects up close)
Nearsightedness (difficulty seeing objects far away)
Astigmatism (blurry vision at all distances)
Monocular vision (when one eye adopts the majority of visual tasks)

Optic nerve damage is serious because if left untreated and it gets worse optic nerve damage can lead to complete vision loss and blindness.

With treatment optic nerve damage can be corrected although not fully cured.

Stress can damage the optic nerves as the stress causes build up of pressure in the eyes which can cause glaucoma as well as optic nerve damage.

Diseases that cause optic nerve damage are Glaucoma and optic neuritis.

Glaucoma is typically caused by high pressure inside your eyes.

However, diabetes can also be a risk factor for glaucoma.

The causes of optic nerve damage are poor blood flow, eye diseases like glaucoma, poor blood flow (ischemic optic neuropathy), shock or trauma, toxins such as lead or carbon monoxide, radiation, or diseases of the central nervous system.

The symptoms of optic nerve damage are pain, visual field loss, loss of color vision, flashing lights, inflammation, distorted vision and temporary or in some more severe cases permanent vision loss.

Pain. Most people who develop optic neuritis have eye pain that's worsened by eye movement.
Vision loss in one eye.

Most people have at least some temporary reduction in vision, but the extent of loss varies.
Visual field loss.
Loss of color vision.
Flashing lights
Decline in the field of vision.
Distorted vision.
Inflammation in the eye.
Temporary or permanent vision loss.
Unusual symptoms include numbness or weakness of the limbs, which may be a result of a neurological disorder.

An optometrist can usually tell if you have MS through an eye exam.

An eye scan and eye exam can detect MS or debilitating neurological disease multiple sclerosis.

A common visual symptom of MS is optic neuritis — inflammation of the optic (vision) nerve.

Optic neuritis usually occurs in one eye and may cause aching pain with eye movement, blurred vision, dim vision, or loss of color vision.

For example, the color red may appear washed out or gray.

Although the symptoms can be disturbing, the best treatment may be no treatment at all.

This happens when the muscles that control eye movement are not coordinated because one or more of them is not working properly.

In MS, the problem occurs in the part of the brain that controls the nerves that go to these muscles.

People with MS may experience blindness, whether partial or full.

Advanced demyelination can destroy your optic nerve or other parts of your body responsible for vision.

This can permanently affect eyesight.

Common early signs of multiple sclerosis (MS) include:

    vision problems.
    tingling and numbness.
    pains and spasms.
    weakness or fatigue.
    balance problems or dizziness.
    bladder issues.
    sexual dysfunction.
    cognitive problems.
The most common cause for ON is inflammatory demyelination of the optic nerve.

Demyelination is a process in which the myelin is stripped off by disease.

It is believed that ON is an autoimmune process, where for some unknown reason the immune system attacks tissues of the body causing injury.

The most commonly associated ocular finding with MS is sudden onset vision loss due to optic neuritis (an inflammation of the optic nerve).

The amount of vision loss can vary, but typically ranges from 20/60 to 20/200 in the involved eye.

There's currently no cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), but medicines and other treatments can help control the condition [JJ1] and ease some of the symptoms.

Treatment for MS depends on the stage of the disease and the specific symptoms the person has.

It may include: treating relapses of MS symptoms (with steroids)

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