The Effect of Corticosteroid in Traumatic Optic Neuropathy

Moon, I G; Ahn, Byung Cook; Han, H J

Abstract

There is no definitive treatment in traumatic optic neuropathy, but several treatment methods have been used such as high dose steroid therapy, high osmality agent and surgical decompression of the optic canal. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the high dose steroid therapy in traumatic optic neuropathy. We performed a restrospective review on 21 patients[21 eyes] with the diagnosis of traumatic optic neuropathy with over 6 month follow up peroid. All patients were examined initial visual acuity, final visual acuity, neuroophthalmic examination, orbital CT and MRI. And all of them were treated with an intravenous high dose methylprednisolone and thereafter oral prednisolone. After treatment, 7 of 21 patients showed mild visual improvement and 8 patients showed no visual improvement, but 6 patients showed more visual aggravation. Only one patient showed visual improvement in 9 patents whose intial visual acuity was NLP. There was no visual improvement in the patient who had not evoked amplitude at VEP study. This result suggests that the corticosteroid treatment has a little effect in traumatic optic neuropathy.