Ischemic optic neuropathy associated with optic disc drusen

Abstract

Ischemic optic neuropathy developed in five eyes of four patients with optic nerve drusen. Two of the patients were in their 20s, a decade when idiopathic ischemic optic neuropathy is rare. This argues against a chance concurrence of drusen and idiopathic ischemic optic neuropathy. Infarction of the distal portion of the optic nerve in patients with drusen may result from mechanical distortion of blood vessels in the laminar and prelaminar regions.