METABOLIC AND MICROCIRCULATORY DISORDERS IN ISCHEMIC OPTIC NEUROPATHY

The blockage can occur with inflammation of the arteries (the arteritic form, usually associated with a disease called giant cell arteritis) or without inflammation of the arteries (the non-arteritic form). The only permanent symptom is painless vision loss, which usually comes on suddenly. Doctors make the diagnosis based on a person's symptoms and by examining the patient's eye with an ophthalmoscope. Blood tests and sometimes a biopsy of temporal artery tissue are used to diagnose giant cell arteritis. Treatment for the arteritis type does not restore vision, but it can help protect the healthy eye.