–June 13, 2005
Viagra patients suffering from non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) have a new treatment option in transvitreal optic neurotomy. Transvitreal optic neurotomy is a space-creating procedure that may be a beneficial treatment for patients with NAION because it reduces constriction of ocular tissue and prevents necrosis of functioning nerve fibers.
NAION is a major cause of blindness from optic nerve disease and about 30%-50% of patients can experience severe loss of vision. Only about 21% of patients experience improved visual sharpness within 24 months of the onset of the disease.
A pilot study tested the effectiveness of transvitreal optic neurotomy. All patients had symptoms of NAION, including severe visual loss, optic disc swelling, and pallor with or without hemorrhage.
The theory behind the success of the procedure is that it re-establishes circulation in the nerve head. The effect of transvitreal optic neurotomy occurs because it is a space-creating procedure. During transvitreal optic neurotomy, an incision is made in the perilaminar, laminar, and the scleral ring, which relaxes the scleral ring and the adjacent tissue, reduces the edema (fluid build up), and re-establishes the circulation in the nerve head and in the under-perfused and salvageable nerve fibers.
Doctors suggest that despite the pleasing results in the preliminary study, a long-term randomized clinical trial must be done before this procedure can be recommended convincingly for these Viagra patients.
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