Clinical Manifestations of Optic Nerve Hypoplasia

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To estimate the baseline demographic and ocular characteristics of patients with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH), and to analyze the different features and frequency of coexistent CNS abnormalities and pituitary hormone deficiency. METHODS: The authors reviewed the medical records of the patients who were seen between January 1988 and July 2005. Eyes with disc-to-macula / disc diameter ratio of 3.0 or more were eligible. The study comprised 70 patients (45 male, 25 female) and the average age was 6.4 years. RESULTS: Ocular manifestations included strabismus and nystagmus in 60 patients (85.7%) and 23 patients (32.9%), respectively. Eighty-four patients (87.5%) had visual acuity of 0.3 or less. Neuroradiologic examination of 27 patients revealed two with septo-optic dysplasia, two with pituitary hypoplasia, one with an absence of corpus callosum, one with diffuse encephalomalacia, one with a cerebral infarction in the right cerebral hemisphere, and one with a cerebellar injury. Of 12 patients who had undergone a clinical laboratory test, two had isolated growth hormone deficiency, one had a combined deficiency of growth hormone and gonadotropin and one had a combined deficiency of growth hormone and thyrotropin. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular features frequently associated with ONH are strabismus, nystagmus and poor vision. ONH is often associated with a wide variety of central nervous system abnormalities and pituitary hormone defect, so a systematic approach to patients with ONH is always recommended.