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Optic disc edema is a medical condition where the area at the back of the eye where the optic nerve connects is swollen. It can be caused by slow conduction along the optic nerve or high intracranial pressure. Symptoms include nausea, headache, and vision problems. Tests such as ultrasound, CT, and MRI can determine the cause.
Disc edema, more accurately called optic disc edema, is a medical condition in which the small area at the back of the eyeball where the optic nerve connects is swollen. It can be observed by a doctor by looking through the iris of the eye using an ophthalmoscope. The most common cause of disc edema is slowing of conduction along the optic nerve, but the most concerning cause is intracranial pressure. Patients with disc edema sometimes report nausea, headache, ringing in the ears, intermittent double vision, or other vision problems; they often don’t notice any symptoms, however.
Mechanical signs seen by a general practitioner or ophthalmologist include visible swelling of the optic disc at the back of the eyeball, a blurring of the edges of the optic disc, and creases in the retina or choroid – a layer of connective tissue in the wall of the eye. Visible symptoms involving the venous system include small areas of necrosis or dead tissue, bleeding radiating from the area of disc edema, and excess blood in the tissue. The combination of signs is used to determine the stage of development of a particular case of disc edema.
The slow conduction between the optic nerve cells can lead to the accumulation of intracellular fluids and cellular waste which then moves towards the optic nerve head. If swelling is seen in the optic disc of both eyes, this is called bilateral disc edema and could be caused by high intracranial pressure. Elevated intracranial pressure can be caused by hydrocephalus, tumors, or cerebral hypertension. Swelling found only in the eye is called asymmetric disc edema and could be caused by blood leaking from a malformed blood vessel in the brain near that eye or by the presence of an intracranial abscess in the brain on the side of the affected eye.
Procedures that can help determine the exact cause of a case of optic disc edema include ultrasound B-scans, computed topography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ultrasound can rule out swelling caused by hardened secretions from the optic nerve, and CT and MRI scans can detect tumors, abscesses, or hemorrhages that could be causing increased intracranial pressure. If none of these tests are conclusive, a lumbar puncture may be done to check fluid pressure within the entire central nervous system, as well as meningitis or spinal cord tumors.
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