[Morphoenzymatic changes of the optic nerve in cardiovascular diseases]

Results are described of a histological and histoenzymatic investigation of visual nerves with a history during life of acute vascular optic neuropathy. It was found that in vascular pathology of the visual nerve due to atherosclerosis, both in the involved and clinically healthy eye different degrees of visual nerve atrophy develop due to sclerotic changes in the blood vessels. The genesis of vascular lesions and atrophy of the visual nerve is to a certain degree determined by immunological changes as evidenced by infiltration of the tissues around the vessels and in the nerve fibers by immunocompetent cells with a pronounced activity of unspecific esterase and acid phosphatase.