Optic nerve involvement in sarcoidosis

Abstract

Six patients with generalized histologically confirmed sarcoidosis developed optic nerve involvement, two at the onset and four during the chronic course of the disease. Two patients had granulomata of the prelaminar part of the optic nerve, two patients had optic disc oedema with an unusual appearance, one had a retrobulbar optic neuritis and one a glaucomatous cupping of the optic nerve head. Four patients had no visual complaints at the time the sarcoid optic nerve abnormality was detected. The wide variety of the ophthalmos-copical appearance of the sarcoid optic nerve affection and the patients' neuro-ophthalmic and otherclinical findings is discussed. The fluoresceinangiography of thegranulomatosis of the optic nerve showed an early hypofluorescence typical of a sarcoid mass lesion.

Key Words:

• sarcoidosis
• optic nerve
• fluorescein angiography