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Ancillary testing and differential diagnosis
Author(s) -
BORRUAT FX
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2008.3263.x
Subject(s) - medicine , optic neuropathy , ischemic optic neuropathy , ophthalmology , fluorescein angiography , papilledema , visual acuity , optic nerve , syphilis , ischemia , visual field , retinal , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , family medicine
The most frequent mechanisms leading to acute visual loss in the setting of a unilateral swollen optic disc include : ischemia (anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, arteritic versus non‐arteritic) inflammation (demyelinative disorder or other inflammatory diseases), and infection (Lyme, syphilis, Bartonellosis). Less frequent causes include: infiltration (lymphoma, leukaemia, metastasis), paraneoplastic mechanisms, unilateral papilledema, pseudopapilledema (drusen), hereditary (Leber’s optic neuropathy). Ancillary testing will be directed according to the presumed mechanism. Apart from a complete visual function examination (visual acuity, color vision, visual field) and pupillary testing, various tests are available including : retinal angiography (fluorescein, indocyanine green), electrophysiology (VEP, mfERG), to name a few.