1. < Eye Conditions
Profile picture for Pedie

Non arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy

Posted by Pedie @pedie, May 22, 2017

Over the past month 55 year old son has lost vision in one eye. He has seen an ophthalmologist, had an MRI, was told that nothing can be done. Are there any treatments for this.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Eye Conditions Support Group.

Profile picture for paperdetective
paperdetective | @paperdetective | Mar 14, 2025

If the patient is still within the 14 days of onset, he can start an oral steroids treatment at the dosage its discover prof Sohan Hayreh from Iowa recommended. It accelerates the reduction of the swelling of the optic disc and with that it reduces the progressive damage produced inside a swollen disc.
Another important action is to urgently invesitgate the underlying health or medication cause that triggered NAION (in combination with the disk at risk) and prevent another such cause to prevent full blindness due to another NAION.

REPLY
Profile picture for eileenberta
eileenberta | @eileenberta | Mar 15, 2025
In reply to @jamienolson "Hello @mlbondurant! Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for posting. I was able to find..." + (show)
Profile picture for Jamie Olson @jamienolson

Hello @mlbondurant! Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for posting.

I was able to find a direct link to a clinical study being done at Mayo Clinic on patients diagnosed with Acute Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy. http://www.mayo.edu/research/clinical-trials/cls-20253809

If reaching out to the Mayo Clinic is an option for you please refer to this link for appointment information. http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

@mlbondurant, can you tell me what you have been doing thus far to protect your eye? Did your Ophthalmologist give you any suggestions?

Jump to this post

Has there been any progress from this study?

REPLY
Profile picture for dorine
dorine | @dorine | Oct 15, 2025
In reply to @paperdetective "Actually, no, it is the UPenn clinic that is the best for NAION. They offer the..." + (show)
Profile picture for paperdetective @paperdetective

Actually, no, it is the UPenn clinic that is the best for NAION. They offer the much needed oral steroids to limit damage in the onset stage no later started than on day 14. Wills Eye does not.

Jump to this post

@paperdetective So you have to take the steroids within the 14 day window?

REPLY
Profile picture for my2girlsand3dogs
my2girlsand3dogs | @my2girlsand3dogs | May 17 8:08am
In reply to @naion1lefteye "I lost vision in my left eye last month. I went to Mayo and was told..." + (show)
Profile picture for naion1lefteye @naion1lefteye

I lost vision in my left eye last month. I went to Mayo and was told it was NAION. I am still in the learning stage. I don't have any of the risk factors except I have no cup on either eye. My ratio was 10: 0.0 . I am following up with my doctor for a sleep study. I don't think I have sleep apnea but I figure the only way to know is to do the study. How may here have low or no disc to cup ratios?

Jump to this post

@naion1lefteye One year ago I had a NAION in my right eye. No risk factors. All bloodwork and MRIs came back normal. Mild sleep apnea. Pulmonologist said I didn’t really need a cpap but I could get one. I chose to, hoping it would help prevent a NAION in the left eye. About 6 weeks ago, I experienced a NAION in the left eye. Again, bloodwork came back normal. Neuro Ophthalmologist ordered another MRI which will be within the next week or so. I also have a small cup to disc ratio but the doctor said “so do a lot of other people and they don’t experience a NAION. Did you ever get answers?

REPLY
1 reply
Profile picture for zettybin25
zettybin25 | @zettybin25 | May 18 9:52am

I also was tested for everything also. Only thing I could come up with was the week before I had an endoscopy and was put under, could have been drop in blood pressure and disc at risk, I’ll never know.

REPLY
Profile picture for dorine
dorine | @dorine | May 18 2:00pm
In reply to @my2girlsand3dogs "@naion1lefteye One year ago I had a NAION in my right eye. No risk factors. All..." + (show)
Profile picture for my2girlsand3dogs @my2girlsand3dogs

@naion1lefteye One year ago I had a NAION in my right eye. No risk factors. All bloodwork and MRIs came back normal. Mild sleep apnea. Pulmonologist said I didn’t really need a cpap but I could get one. I chose to, hoping it would help prevent a NAION in the left eye. About 6 weeks ago, I experienced a NAION in the left eye. Again, bloodwork came back normal. Neuro Ophthalmologist ordered another MRI which will be within the next week or so. I also have a small cup to disc ratio but the doctor said “so do a lot of other people and they don’t experience a NAION. Did you ever get answers?

Jump to this post

@my2girlsand3dogs I am so sorry this happened to you! It is incredibly frustrating and scary! Were you sick at all during either Naion event? Some of us had Covid or were sick, which could have damaged blood vessels. I also took a nasal decongestant at the time, which is a vasoconstrictor and could have contributed to my Naion. I have the small c/d ratio, sleep apnea and using cpap, and slightly elevated cholesterol being treated with a statin. It really bothers me that you can still have another attack after treating risk factors. What are the doctors missing?

REPLY
Profile picture for navycorpman
navycorpman | @navycorpman | May 19 10:42am

I think there is undetectable genetic issue that sets up the eye for this problem. It seems like, at least in my case, after multiple tests with no specific trigger they use idiopathic as the term, "denoting any disease or condition which arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown".
"

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.