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Introduction
Compressive optic neuropathy occurs when there is optic nerve injury somewhere along the length of the optic nerve caused by an extrinsic lesion. The optic nerve has been found to be highly vulnerable when it comes to injury caused by compressive force, especially when it is next to a confined space such as the optic canal, bone or orbital apex. The main stamp of this condition is the slow loss of vision. Each day a diagnosis is delayed the chances of treatment being successful go down. Initial diagnosis can be difficult as it can present as so many other types of conditions that by the time it has been diagnosed correctly, the condition may be quite advanced.
Epidemiology:
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Compressive optical neuropathy is a rare condition in the United States with only four out of every one hundred people being diagnosed each year.
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Most cases are connected to Graves’s orbitopathy.
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Loss of vision is present in most all cases.
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Both males and females are equally affected by compressive optic neuropathy.
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Compressive optic neuropathy can affect people of all ages but is most prevalent in those past the age of 30 years old.
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