Patient's question:
Here are the questions for a professional ophthalmologist to explain. If you are not an ophthalmologist, please decline to explain. Thank you!Hello! Hello! How is congenital optic atrophy hereditary? If it is, and the brother has congenital optic atrophy, how could his siblings also have it?
The brother has had blurred vision since his teens, and after two years, he almost lost all his hearing and could no longer see anything. Meanwhile, the other siblings, the youngest of whom is now almost 30, have not yet experienced such symptoms.
Hello! How could his siblings also be at risk of developing congenital optic atrophy? Generally, if someone has congenital optic atrophy, when does it typically manifest? Thank you.
Doctor's answer:
Optic atrophy is the final result of optic neuropathy. It manifests as degeneration and loss of optic nerve fibers, impaired conduction function, recurrence of visual field changes, vision loss, and eventual blindness. The central retinal artery is the sole source of nutrition for the inner retina. Due to this artery being a terminal artery with no anastomoses between branches, once it becomes occluded, the retina in its supplied area suffers acute ischemia again.