Optic nerve compartment syndrome
| Various causes and risk factors for the development of glaucoma damage are discussed in the literature. One of the possible causes is a compartment syndrome of the optic nerve. On this webpage, we confine ourselves to the vascular causes of glaucoma damage. Nevertheless, we briefly like to mention the optic nerve compartment syndrome because we have observed that glaucoma patients with primary vascular dysregulation often have an optic nerve compartment syndrome and that treatment of primary vascular dysregulation also reduces or even eliminates the optic nerve compartment syndrome. | |
 GP Jaggi, NR Miller, J Flammer, RN Weinreb, L Remonda, HE Killer: Optic nerve sheath diameter in normal-tension glaucoma patients |
Killer was the first to describe optic nerve compartment syndrome. Because the optic nerve is a part of the central nervous system, there is free communication between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space around the brain and the CSF space around the optic nerve. In optic nerve compartment syndrome, this communication is completely or partially disrupted. As a result, the chemical composition of this CSF around the optic nerve is altered and the pressure increases. This increase in pressure leads to dilation of the optic sheaths. Functionally, there are visual disturbances that are sometimes difficult to differentiate from glaucoma-related deficits. |
 K Konieczka, MG Todorova, RI Bojinova, T Binggeli, TN Chackathayil, J Flammer: Unexpected Effect of Calcium Channel Blockers on the Optic Nerve Compartment Syndrome |
Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and Flammer's syndrome frequently present with optic nerve compartment syndrome. In this present work, Konieczka et al. have shown that treatment of Flammer syndrome usually also has a beneficial effect on optic nerve compartment syndrome. This indicates that vascular dysregulation may be involved in the development of optic compartment syndrome. Possible causes could be swelling of the meninges caused by oxidative stress or dysregulation of the lymphatic capillaries in the meninges. |