Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection for acute non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy

Abstract

Non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy is the most common optic neuropathy of the elderly, characterised by unilateral, sudden, painless visual loss. No effective treatment has been proven to reverse or limit the course of this disease. We evaluated the role of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection in eyes with non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Four eyes of four patients with acute NAION received a single intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide (4 mg). The time between visual loss and intravitreal injection varied between four and 10 days. Mean age of patients was 57.25 years (range, 44 to 77 years). All patients experienced some visual gain. No complications related to the injection were observed during the following three months. Intravitreal triamcinolone injection may offer help in limiting the damage in this small group of patients with a relatively short history of visual loss due to NAION.