[Acute post-traumatic optic nerve avulsion: case report]

Optic nerve avulsion is a rare, but devastating complication. In this condition, the optic nerve is forcibly disinserted from the retina, choroid, and vitreous, and the lamina cribrosa is retracted from the scleral rim. If the media are clear, the avulsion is easily diagnosed. The appearance of the fundus is striking, with a hole or cavity where the optic disc has retracted into its dural sheath. The complementary examinations are not very accurate for the diagnosis of this pathology and with some residual vision, opaque media, that occur in partial avulsion, the diagnosis may be mistaken or delayed. In this article we report a case of complete optic nerve avulsion examined at the Retina and Vitreous Department of the "Hospital das Clínicas" of the Federal University of Uberlândia - MG - Brazil.