[Clinical aspects in ischemic optic neuropathy]

Clinical evaluation of the patients suffering of Ischaemic Optic Neuropathy (ION) for the establishment of a quick and accurate diagnosis and a therapeutical strategy.

There have been taken into study 56 patients whose epidemiological, aetiological aspects and clinical manifestations were followed up from the beginning and during the evolution.

In ION aetiology there have been found: atherosclerosis + systemic hypertension (87.4%); giant cell arteritis (7.2%); normal-tension glaucoma (3.6%) and systemic hypotension (1.8%). Diabetes mellitus and dislipidemia have been found in 21.4% of cases. In most of the cases the visual acuity was quickly reduced affecting only one eye, in two of the cases it was bilaterally affected.

ION affects old people, without any differences between sexes, whose predominant aetiology is atherosclerosis associated with hypertension. ION are serious illnesses, the visual deficit persists or get worse even if an appropriate treatment is made. The establishment of the aetiology, arteritical or atherosclerotical, has a great clinical importance for the therapeutics strategy.