Optic Nerve Disorder

The optic nerve is part of the body’s central nervous system. It is the second of a dozen pairs of cranial nerves. When you are diagnosed with an optic nerve disorder, it means that a part of your optic nerve has been compromised or damaged. As a result, you could have any of the following eye diseases: optic nerve inflammation, glaucoma, or problems with the blood supply to your optic nerves.

The purpose of the optic nerve is to act as a connection between your eyes and your brain. The stimuli you get from your eyes are transmitted through the optic nerves to your brain, and your brain will tell you what you are seeing.

One interesting fact is that the optic nerve will help you understand what a blind spot is. We all have a blind spot; vehicle drivers know what this means. The reason we have a blind spot is because the optic nerve head which is found in the retina has no photoreceptors and does not react to light at all.

There are several kinds of optic nerve disease that can happen to a person. The most common are glaucoma which damages the optic nerve because of eye pressure. This condition will result in tunnel vision.

Another eye disease that can affect your optic nerves is optic atrophy. Optic atrophy is a degenerative disease that can result in loss of vision. You can also get optic neuritis which is an inflammation of the optic nerve. Neuritis can happen singularly or repeatedly. If it happens repeatedly, then there is the risk of vision loss. However, if one or two occurrences happen, then you may experience blurred vision, but this will only be temporary.

Other eye problems are papilledema and nerve injuries. Papilledema also happens because of swelling but the swelling is because of a problem in the brain. Thus because the optic nerve is attached on one side to the brain, it will also get inflamed. Optic nerve disease from an injury is usually because of an accident, trauma, or a tumor.

Any kind of change in your vision like blurred vision or double vision should never be taken lightly. While it is possible that nothing is wrong, having a check up with an eye doctor will not do any harm. It will validate your assumptions, or it will give you more information should you have an eye disorder. When it comes to optic nerve disorders, it becomes more vital to seek professional help because of the risk of total vision loss.