Clinical Features of Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical features of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) and to evaluate the visual prognosis METHODS: Medical records of 52 eyes in 47 patients who were diagnosed with AION from January 1991 to December 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical features, associated systemic disease, visual fields findings, and fundus findings in the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 55.9 years (20~81 years). Twenty-six were men (55.3%) and 21 were women (44.7%). The initial visual acuity of less than 0.1 was 24 eyes (46.2%), that of 0.1 to 0.5 was 23 eyes (44.2%), and more than 0.5 was 5 eyes (9.6%). In seasonal onset, frequency of AION during the winter was 18 eyes (37.5%). As the associated systemic diseases, 15 had diabetes mellitus (31.9%), and 27 had hypertension (57.4%). In laboratory examination, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was elevated in 4 patients (8.5%). In fundus examination, the optic disc swelling was found in 16 eyes (30.8%), and optic disc atrophy was found in 36 eyes (69.2%). In Goldmann perimetry, the altitudinal field defect was found in 23 eyes (44.2%), most commonly. The mean follow-up period was 1.7 years (2 months ~ 9 years), and the visual acuity improved in 13 eyes (25.0%), worsened in 6 eyes (11.5%), and did not change in 33 eyes (63.5%) at the final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, patients with AION showed various clinical features and overall visual prognosis is poor. Because AION is frequentely associated with systemic diseases, careful evaluation on the systemic disease is mandatory.