Optic atrophy Health Dictionary

Wasting of a tissue or organ... atrophy

Otherwise known as the blind spot of the EYE, the disc is the beginning of the optic nerve – the point where nerve ?bres from the retina’s rods and cones (the light- and colour-sensitive cells) leave the eyeball.... optic disc

See EYE.... optic nerve

In?ammation of the optic nerve (see EYE) which may result in sudden loss of part of a person’s vision. It is usually accompanied by pain and tenderness on touch. The cause is uncertain, although in some cases it may be a prcursor of MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS): CORTICOSTEROIDS may help by improving the loss of visual acuity, but seems not to check the long-term in?ammatory activity.... optic neuritis

Concerned with the EYE or vision.... optic

The wasting of muscles after prolonged immobility. This can be seen after lengthy immobilisation in a plaster cast, and is particularly severe following paralysis of a limb through nerve injury. (See ATROPHY.)... disuse atrophy

This is formed by a crossing-over of the two optic nerves (see EYE) which run from the back of the eyeballs to meet in the mid line beneath the brain. Nerve ?bres from the nasal part of the retina cross to link up with ?bres from the outer part of the retina of the opposite eye. The linked nerves form two separate optic tracts which travel back to the occipital lobes of the brain.... optic chiasma

Osteoporosis (see under BONE, DISORDERS OF) in the hand or foot which develops quickly as a result of injury, infection or malignant growth.... sudek’s atrophy

Necrosis. Fatal disease in which the substance of the liver is destroyed. Incidence is rare since the public has been alerted to the dangers of certain chemical toxins, fumes from synthetic glues, solvents, and poisonous fungi.

Symptoms: jaundice, delirium and convulsions.

As it is the work of the liver to neutralise incoming poisons it may suffer unfair wear and tear, alcohol and caffeine being common offenders.

Treatment for relief of symptoms only: same as for abscess of the liver.

Treatment by or in liaison with a general medical practitioner. ... liver – acute yellow atrophy

A rare, inherited disorder characterized by muscle wasting in the feet and calves and then in the hands and forearms.

The condition, also known as Charcot–Marie– Tooth disease, is caused by degeneration of some peripheral nerves.

It is more common in boys, and usually appears in late childhood or adolescence.

Muscle wasting stops halfway up the arms and legs, making them look like inverted bottles; sensation may be lost.

There is no treatment, but the sufferer rarely becomes totally incapacitated because the disease usually progresses very slowly.

Life expectancy is normal.... peroneal muscular atrophy

A type of motor neuron disease in which the muscles of the hands, arms, and legs become weak and wasted and twitch involuntarily. The condition eventually spreads to other muscles.... progressive muscular atrophy

Swelling and loss of use of a hand or foot after a fracture or other injury.

Treatment includes elevation of the affected hand or foot, gentle exercise, and heat treatment.

Full recovery is usual within about 4 months.... sudeck’s atrophy

a rare hereditary condition causing night blindness and constricted visual fields, usually developing in the first decade of life. Clinically it is characterized by a progressive atrophy of the choroid and retina.... gyrate atrophy

a rare hereditary disorder, usually affecting young males, that is characterized by loss of central vision due to neuroretinal degeneration. Visual loss in one eye is rapid and usually followed by loss in the second eye. [T. Leber]... leber’s optic atrophy

(MSA) a condition that results from degeneration of cells in the *basal ganglia (resulting in *parkinsonism), the *cerebellum (resulting in *ataxia), the *pyramidal system, and the *autonomic nervous system (resulting in symptoms of autonomic failure, such as postural hypotension).... multiple system atrophy

(optic commissure) the X-shaped structure formed by the two optic nerves, which pass backwards from the eyeballs to meet in the midline beneath the brain, near the pituitary gland (see illustration). Nerve fibres from the nasal side of the retina of each eye cross over to join fibres from the lateral side of the retina of the opposite eye. The optic tracts resulting from the junction pass backwards to the occipital lobes.... optic chiasm

either of the paired cup-shaped outgrowths of the embryonic brain that form the retina and iris of the eyes.... optic cup

the groove in the top of the *orbit that contains the optic nerve and the ophthalmic artery.... optic foramen

see complex regional pain syndrome. [P. H. M. Sudek (1866–1938), German surgeon]... sudek’s atrophy

(SMA) a hereditary condition in which cells of the spinal cord die and the muscles in the arms and legs become progressively weaker. Eventually the respiratory muscles are affected and death usually results from respiratory infection. Most affected individuals are wheelchair-bound by the age of 20 and few survive beyond the age of 30. The gene responsible has been located: in affected children it is inherited as a double *recessive. There are three forms of the disease, based on severity of the symptoms and the age at which they appear. Type 1 (infantile spinal muscular atrophy) is the most acute and aggressive form of the condition (see Werdnig–Hoffmann disease). Type 2 develops between the ages of 6 months and 2 years and type 3 (Kugelberg–Welander disease), the least severe form, appears between 2 and 17 years of age.... spinal muscular atrophy