Eye Nerve Diseases

The portion of the nervous system that travels through the eye can also be a source of an eye disease. The eye nerve, also called the optic nerve, is made up of several fibers that connect to the eyeball.

Rare Diseases

• Aplasia and Morning Glory Syndrome are rare disorders of the eye nerve. Aplasia occurs when the nerve and parts of the retina do not develop before birth. Morning Glory Syndrome is a congenital disorder of the hole through which the optic nerve passes to the brain.

Glaucoma

• Glaucoma is a condition characterized by fluid buildup in the eye. The pressure from the fluid causes injury to the optic nerve. According to the National Eye Institute, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.

Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

• Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is also called an optic nerve stroke. It can occur suddenly with no warning. The symptoms are blurring or periodic losses of vision until the sufferer is blinded permanently. Ischemic optic neuropathy can be fatal.

LHON

• Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy is vision loss over the course of two weeks to two months. There may be pain, numbness or tingling before the vision loss. LHON is essentially rapid optic nerve degeneration. It is the byproduct of a genetic mutation.

Optic Neuritis

• Optic neuritis is characterized by pain upon eye movement and loss of vision. It is commonly caused by an underlying condition of multiple sclerosis. Optic neuritis is also caused by infections, drugs such as arsenic and quinine, autoimmune disorders and inflammation in the eyeball.