OPTIC PSEUDONEURITIS AND PSEUDOPAPILLEDEMA

Abstract

The decision as to whether an eyeground is pathologic or normal is not always simple. Just as slight pallor of the optic disks does not necessarily mean early optic atrophy, so there are degrees of redness of the nerve heads, blurring of their margins and even measurable elevation of the disk which do not signify a pathologic condition, but which may confuse the observer. Normal nerve heads which are red and elevated and which appear to have many of the characteristics of either optic neuritis or papilledema are occasionally encountered. In the past, all such nerve heads have been grouped together as pseudoneuritides. We believe that a more accurate classification will be of value for the recognition and understanding of the phenomenon. We were able to find only ten cases of pseudoneuritis reported in the literature of the past decade. This does not include instances of unusual appearances of the