Many patients, after visiting an ophthalmologist’s office, are diagnosed with congestive optic disc. This term is not always clear, which makes patients look for additional information. What is accompanied by such a condition and what complications is fraught with? What are the main reasons for the development of stagnation? What can modern medicine offer as a treatment?
What is a pathology?
To begin with, it’s worth understanding the meaning of the term. Not everyone knows that in fact this diagnosis implies edema. The congestive optic disc is a pathology that is accompanied by edema, and its appearance is not associated with the inflammatory process.
This condition is not an independent disease. Puffiness in most cases is associated with a persistent increase in intracranial pressure. This problem is encountered not only in adulthood - a congestive optic nerve disc in a child is often diagnosed. This pathology naturally affects vision and, if untreated, can lead to nerve atrophy and blindness. Edema can be one-sided, but, according to statistical studies, the disease often affects both eyes at once.
Optic nerve congestion: causes
As already mentioned, in most cases, swelling develops against a background of increased intracranial pressure. And there can be many reasons for this:
- In approximately 60-70% of cases, congestive optic nerve disc is associated with the presence of a tumor in the brain. To date, it has not been possible to determine whether there is a relationship between the size of the neoplasm and the appearance of swelling. On the other hand, it is known that the closer the tumor is to the sinuses of the brain, the faster the stagnant disk forms and progresses.
- Inflammatory lesions of the meninges (in particular, meningitis) can also provoke pathology.
- Risk factors also include the formation of an abscess.
- A stagnant disc may develop as a result of a traumatic brain injury or hemorrhage in the ventricles and brain tissue.
- The same pathology is sometimes observed with hydrocephalus (a condition that is accompanied by a violation of the normal outflow of cerebral fluid and its accumulation in the ventricles).
- The presence of uncharacteristic atriovenous messages between the vessels leads to tissue edema.
- Often the cause of the development of congestive optic disc are cysts, as well as other formations that gradually increase in size.
- A similar pathology can develop against the background of thrombosis of blood vessels that provide blood circulation in the brain.
- Other possible causes include diabetes mellitus, chronic hypertension and other diseases, which, in the end, lead to metabolic and hypoxic damage to brain tissue.
In fact, it is very important during the diagnosis to determine the cause of the development of edema of the optic nerve, since the treatment regimen and the rapid recovery of the patient depend on this.
Features of the clinical picture and symptoms of pathology
Of course, a list of symptoms is something to read. After all, the sooner this or that violation is noticed, the faster the patient will see a doctor. Immediately it is worth saying that in the presence of this pathology, normal vision is maintained, and for a long time. But many patients at the same time complain of periodic headaches.
A sharp optic impairment, up to blindness, is characteristic of a congestive optic nerve disk. As a rule, it is short-term, and then everything comes back to normal for a while. A similar phenomenon is associated with spasm of blood vessels - for a moment the nerve endings stop receiving nutrients and oxygen. In some patients, such "attacks" are observed only occasionally, while other patients suffer from changes in vision almost every day. It’s not worth talking about how dangerous sudden onset blindness can be, especially if at that moment a person drives a car, crosses the street, works with a dangerous tool.
Over time, the retina is also involved in the process, which is accompanied by a significant decrease in the field of view. When examining the fundus, the doctor may notice minor hemorrhages, which occurs due to circulatory disorders in the structures of the eye analyzer. If you have such symptoms, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Stages of the development of the disease
It is customary to distinguish several stages of the development of pathology:
- At the initial stage, hyperemia of the disc, narrowing of small arteries and writhing of venous vessels are observed.
- Severe stage - the congestive optic disk increases in size, small hemorrhages appear around it.
- At the pronounced phase, the disc strongly promotes into the vitreous zone, changes in the area of ​​the macula of the retina are observed.
- This is followed by the stage of atrophy, in which the disk is flattened and acquires a dirty gray color. It was during this period that noticeable vision problems began to appear. At first, partial, and then complete loss of vision is observed.
The initial stage of the disease and its features
As mentioned above, at the initial stages of the development of pathology, the patient may not even suspect a problem, since there are simply no apparent visual impairments. During this period, it is possible to diagnose a violation - as a rule, this happens by chance during a scheduled ophthalmological examination.
Disks swell and increase in size, their edges are fuzzy and go into the area of ​​the vitreous. In approximately 20% of patients, the pulse in the small veins disappears. Despite the absence of visible symptoms, the retina also begins to swell.
What happens with the further development of the disease?
If untreated, you can already notice some signs. What complications does the congestive optic nerve cause? Symptoms look quite characteristic. In patients, visual acuity gradually decreases. During the examination, you can notice the expansion of the borders of the blind spot.
In the future, blood stasis in the veins develops, and circulatory disorders, as you know, affects the functioning of the optic nerve. Swelling of the disc is intensified. The disease can go into a chronic phase. At this stage, visual acuity then improves, then drops sharply. In this case, a narrowing of the normal field of view can be observed.
Modern diagnostic methods
A congestive optic nerve head is a disease that can be diagnosed by an ophthalmologist, as with a thorough examination and eye examination, a specialist may suspect something was wrong. But since the pathology is associated with diseases of the nervous system, the treatment is carried out by a neurologist or neurosurgeon.
The presence of edema can be accurately determined during retinotomography. In the future, additional studies are conducted, the purpose of which is to determine the degree of development of edema and identify the main cause of the development of the disease. For this patient, they are sent for an ultrasound examination of the optic nerve. In the future, X-ray examination of the skull, computed tomography and optical coherence tomography are carried out.
Optic nerve congestion: treatment
It is immediately worth saying that therapy largely depends on the cause of development, since it is necessary to treat, first of all, the primary disease. For example, with meningitis, patients are prescribed appropriate antibacterial (antifungal, antiviral) drugs. With hydrocephalus, it is necessary to ensure the normal circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, etc.
In addition, congestive optic disc requires maintenance therapy in order to prevent the development of secondary atrophy. To begin with, dehydration is carried out, which removes excess fluid and reduces edema. Patients are also prescribed vasodilator drugs that normalize blood circulation in the nervous tissue, providing cells with the necessary amount of oxygen and nutrients. Part of the treatment is the use of metabolic drugs, which improve and maintain the metabolism in neurons, ensuring the normal functioning of the optic nerve.
When the primary cause is eliminated, the congestive optic nerve disc disappears - the work of the brain and the visual analyzer returns to normal. But the lack of treatment often leads to complete loss of vision. That is why in no case should you give up therapy and neglect the advice of a doctor.
Are there preventative measures?
Immediately it should be said that there are no drugs or specific agents that can prevent the development of pathology. The only thing that doctors can recommend is regular preventive checks with an ophthalmologist. Naturally, you should avoid situations that threaten brain injuries.
All infectious and inflammatory diseases, especially when it comes to lesions of the nervous system, must be treated, and therapy should not be stopped until the body is completely restored. At the slightest visual impairment or the appearance of disturbing symptoms, you need to contact an ophthalmologist or neurologist.