Statistics of optic neuropathy in Seoul Municipal Boramae Hospital in Korea

Abstract

In order to investigate the causative mechanisms of optic neuropathy, retrospective clinical studies including ophthalmologic examination, imaging study, and molecular biologic analyses were performed on 435 patients with optic neuropathy. The causes of optic neuropathy included optic neuritis (92 patients, 21%), hereditary optic neuropathy (85 patients, 20%), traumatic optic neuropathy (59 patients, 14%), ischemic optic neuropathy (57 patients, 13%), compressive optic neuropathy (41 patients, 9%), and toxic optic neuropathy (38 patients, 9%). In 27 patients with bilateral optic atrophy and 26 patients with unilateral optic atrophy, the causative mechanisms remained unknown. In conclusion, optic neuritis and hereditary, traumatic, and ischemic optic neuropathies were the leading causes of optic neuropathy in this study. The importance of meticulous history taking and molecular biologic testing should be stressed in the differential diagnosis of optic neuropathy.