Optic Nerve (Q3) Flashcards
CN are in nerve deck, Hematomas are in vasculature
What do we call the most anterior part of the optic nerve?
Optic disc
The colour (or lack thereof) of the ONH is due to the absence of …
retinal pigment epithelium
Which side of retina is the ONH located and how many degrees from fixation?
Located in the nasal retina, 15 degrees from fixation
T/F: ONH acts as a physiological blind spot in visual field tests
True
In an evaluation of the ONH, we should examine…
margins, rim tissue, disc size, C/D ratio, depth, blood vessels, and insertion of the nerve
List the sides of the rim tissue as thickest to thinnest
Inferior, Superior, Nasal, Temporal (ISNT Rule)
What is the average optic disc size (in mm)?
1.9mm vertically and 1.7mm horizontally
What measurement is considered a small disc size (in mm)?
<1.5mm
What measurement is considered a large disc size (in mm)? What might this condition be called?
> 2.2mm, Megalopapilla
What are the correction factors for measuring disc size using a +60D lens? +78D lens? and +90D lens?
1.0 (for +60D lens), 1.1 (for +78D) and 1.3 (for +90D lens)
What is optic nerve hypoplasia?
A congenital, pathologic condition in which the optic nerve head is underdeveloped
The cup-to-disc ratio indicates the diameter of the cup expressed as a fraction of the diameter of the optic disc and is given in increments of…
0.05
T/F: Cup-to-disc ratio is most accurately determined stereoscopically
True
T/F: A deep physiological cup makes it harder to judge a C/D ratio
False, a deep cup is easier to evaluate C/D ratio compared to a shallow cup which is more difficult; you may need to use the appearance of the blood vessels to judge.
Is a malinserted (insertion not perfectly perpendicular) ONH pathologic or not? And what visual condition is it usually associated with?
Not pathologic, associated with moderate to high myopia
What is a choroidal crescent?
A dark area by the ONH caused by an absence of the RPE/retina, allowing the underlying choroid to be visible
What is a scleral crescent?
A white area next to the ONH caused by the absence of the RPE/retina and choroid layers, allowing the underlying white sclera to be visible
Are choroidal/scleral crescents pathologic? And are they included in judging C/D ratio?
Not pathologic, and not included in rim tissue when judging C/D ratios
What are some other common ONH findings?
Disc hemorrhages, ONH drusen, notches in rim tissue, collaterals, laminar dots, etc.
The optic nerve is composed of bundles of axons carrying signals from the retina to the brain. Where are the cell bodies of these axons located? And what layer is also formed by these axons?
Cell bodies are in the ganglion cell layer of the retina, and the axons also form the nerve fibre layer before coming together at the optic nerve
Which side of the optic disc do the macular fibres enter and what is this bundle of nerve fibres also referred to as?
Macular fibres enter at the temporal disc and are also referred to as the papillomacular bundle
T/F: All 3 layers of the meninges fuse together and become continuous with the sclera
True
What is the longest segment of the optic nerve?
the intraorbital segment
What is the shortest segment of the optic nerve?
the intraocular segment
What is the name for the sieve-like interwoven collagen fibrils forming canals through which the optic nerve bundles pass through in the intraocular segment?
the lamina cribrosa
Which is the only segment of the optic nerve that is non-myelinated?
the intraocular segment
Which EOMs attach to the intraorbital segment of the optic nerve?
the superior rectus and medial rectus
Which structures of the brain are surrounding the intracranial portion of the optic nerve (leading up to the optic chiasm)?
Superiorly - olfactory tract, anterior cerebral artery
Medially - sphenoid sinus
Inferiorly - internal carotid artery, middle cerebral artery, pituitary gland
What is the name for a proliferation of meningeal cells of the intraorbital and intracanalicular optic nerve? What are the symptoms?
Optic nerve sheath meningioma. Affect F>M (40-50yrs of age) gradual painless vision loss usually in one eye, optic nerve head edema or atrophy, and/or optociliary shunt vessels (collaterals)
Which structures supply blood to the intraocular (pre-laminar and laminar) portions of the optic nerve?
The circle of Zinn, formed by the short posterior ciliary arteries
Which vessels supply blood to the intraorbital portion of the optic nerve?
The central retinal artery and pial vessels
Which arteries supply blood to the intracranial portion of the optic nerve?
The ophthalmic, anterior cerebral, anterior communicating, and internal carotid arteries
What are the possible symptoms of a pituitary adenoma?
Blurred vision, headache, diplopia, colour desaturation, visual field defect (bilateral hemianopsia), optic atrophy
Can visual field defect improve after removal of a pituitary tumour?
Depends on the amount of optic nerve damage/atrophy, it may improve if the tumour is caught early!
The Circle of Willis is an anastomosis of which arteries/circulations?
Anterior circulation: internal carotid arteries, and posterior circulation: basilar, vertebral arteries
A patient had an optic tract lesion due to a stroke which caused a left hemianopsia in his visual field testing, which side of his brain was affected?
Right side
What is the name of the nuclei where the axons of the ganglion cells synapse?
Lateral geniculate nucleus, in the thalamus
Which layers of the LGN are magnocellular and which are parvocellular? What are the layers in between these 6 layers called?
Layers 1-2 are magnocellular, layers 3-6 are parvocellular. Koniocellular layers are located in between all 6 layers