What causes cupping of the optic disc?
OPTIC DISC CUPPING. A hallmark of glaucoma is excavation or enlargement of the optic disc, referred to as cupping. The vast majority of pathologic cupping is caused by glaucoma. Disc cupping in the absence of elevated IOP may be caused by normal-tension glaucoma, which accounts for 20% to 30% of open-angle glaucoma.
Why does cupping occur in glaucoma?
In people with glaucoma damage, because of increased pressure in the eye and/or loss of blood flow to the optic nerve, these nerve fibers begin to die. This causes the cup to become larger in comparison to the optic disc, since the support structure is not there.
How does glaucoma affect the optic disc?
Glaucoma can cause the cup to enlarge (actually little nerve fibers are being wiped out along the rim of the optic nerve in glaucoma). Some doctors refer to an enlarged cup/disc ratio as cupping or a cupped nerve. Glaucoma typically causes the cup to get bigger in a vertical oval type pattern.
What are cupped discs?
Optic disc cupping refers to the cup appearing to become larger over time, often due to fibres in the optic nerve dying. As the structural support for the optic disc is no longer there, the cup seems larger.
Is optic nerve cupping genetic?
Recently there has been considerable interest in genetic factors influencing optic nerve area and vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR). Larger optic nerves may be more susceptible to damage related to IOP,7,8 and persons with larger VCDR may be more likely to have progressive enlargement of the cup.
Can you have optical cupping without glaucoma?
Look for other possibilities. Note unexpectedly low visual acuity. Patients who have non-glaucomatous cupping of the optic nerve tend to have lower visual acuity; studies have found that vision less than 20/40 may indicate non-glaucomatous cupping associated with intracranial masses.
What is physiological cupping of eyes?
Physiological cupping is a congenital disorder of optic cupping, which is caused by the scleral optic canal and pronounced glial atrophy of Bergmeister’s papilla. GODC is a type of ascending optic nerve atrophy that is associated with the loss of retinal ganglion cell axons.
What is physiological cupping?
What is cupping in relation to glaucoma?
Cupped disc. The cupping of the optic nerve means the size of the depression in the middle of the nerve when viewed from the front of the eye. When there is damage to the optic nerve, the cupping increases.
How does glaucoma affect the optic nerve?
There are several effects of glaucoma on the optic nerve. Some of the ways glaucoma effects the optic nerve include vision impairment and increased eye pressure that may press against the optic nerve itself. When the optic nerve becomes irreparably damaged due to glaucoma, blindness may occur as a result.
What causes optic nerve cupping?
It is rare that other optic neuropathies result in cupping of the optic nerve. Most of the time, optic nerve head cupping is caused by glaucoma, and the amount of vision loss corresponds to the extent of cupping.
What are symptoms of optic nerve tumor?
Symptoms of an optic nerve glioma are caused by the tumor pressing against the nerves. Common symptoms of this kind of tumor include: nausea and vomiting. balance problems. vision disturbances. headaches.
Is optic nerve cupping normal?
“Cupping”. The normal optic nerve has a healthy appearing “rim” of tissue, which is assessed by both the contour of the rim as well as the color. “Cupping” is the result of changes in the optic nerve related to optic nerve degeneration, where there is a backward bowing of the central part of the disc.