Clinical Update on Optic Nerve Disorders

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Ophthalmology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 598

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Ophthalmology, Academy of Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: diagnosis and management of glaucoma; non-intraocular pressure-related risk factors; ocular blood flow; structural and functional changes and new biomarkers of glaucomatous optic neuropathy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The optic nerve serves as a vital conduit between the eye and brain, playing a critical role in visual processing and neurological health. Understanding its structure, function, and pathology is essential in ophthalmology and neuroscience, as diseases affecting the optic nerve, such as glaucoma, optic neuritis, and ischemic optic neuropathy, are leading causes of vision loss worldwide. Emerging research highlights the optic nerve as a window into systemic and neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, offering new opportunities for early diagnosis and monitoring through advanced imaging modalities like OCT and OCT-A. Furthermore, novel insights into axonal repair, neuroprotection, and regenerative therapies are revolutionizing the management of optic nerve disorders. This Special Issue aims to consolidate cutting-edge research on the optic nerve, addressing clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic advancements, alongside fundamental studies on its anatomy and pathophysiology. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, we hope to accelerate the translation of research into practice, ultimately improving outcomes for patients with optic nerve pathologies.

Dr. Ingrida Janulevičienė
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • optic nerve
  • neurodegenerative disorders
  • glaucoma
  • optic neuritis
  • ischemic optic neuropathy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 2632 KiB  
Article
Relationship Between Intracranial Pressure, Ocular Blood Flow and Vessel Density: Insights from OCTA and Doppler Imaging
by Arminas Zizas, Keren Wood, Austėja Judickaitė, Vytautas Petkus, Arminas Ragauskas, Viktorija Bakstytė, Alon Harris and Ingrida Janulevičienė
Medicina 2025, 61(5), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61050800 - 25 Apr 2025
Viewed by 417
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Despite the growing amount of new research, the pathophysiology of glaucoma remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between intracranial pressure (ICP), ocular blood flow and structural optic nerve parameters. Materials and Methods: A [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Despite the growing amount of new research, the pathophysiology of glaucoma remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between intracranial pressure (ICP), ocular blood flow and structural optic nerve parameters. Materials and Methods: A prospective clinical study was conducted involving 24 patients with open-angle glaucoma and 25 healthy controls. Routine clinical examination was performed. Swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) images were taken (DRI-OCT Triton, Topcon). The vessel density (VD) values of the ONH were calculated around the optic nerve head (ONH). An orbital Doppler device (Vittamed 205, Kaunas, Lithuania) was used for non-invasive ICP measurements. Color Doppler imaging (CDI) (Mindray M7, Shenzhen, China) was used for retrobulbar blood flow measurements in the ophthalmic artery (OA), central retinal artery (CRA) and short posterior ciliary arteries (SPCAs). Results: ICP was 8.35 ± 2.8 mmHg in the glaucoma group and 8.45 ± 3.19 mmHg in the control group (p = 0.907). In the glaucoma group, the VD of the superficial vascular plexus in the inferior-nasal (NI) sector of the ONH showed a correlation with ICP (r = 0.451, p = 0.05). In contrast, the control group exhibited weaker correlations. CRA peak systolic velocity (PSV) demonstrated significant moderate correlations with VD in multiple retinal layers, including the avascular retina layer in the temporal (T) sector (r = 0.637, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Lower ICP was significantly associated with the lower VD of the superficial plexus layer in the inferior-nasal sector in the glaucoma group, with the control group exhibiting weaker correlations in all sectors. Further longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are needed to establish associations between intracranial pressure, ocular blood flow and ONH parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Update on Optic Nerve Disorders)
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