What is papilla edema?

Papilledema is swelling of your optic nerve, which connects the eye and brain. This swelling is a reaction to a buildup of pressure in or around your brain that may have many causes.

What causes papillary edema?

Papilledema occurs when there is increased pressure on the optic nerve from the brain and CSF. This pressure causes the nerve to swell as it enters the eyeball at the optic disc. There are some serious medical conditions that can cause this increased pressure to develop, including : head trauma.

What is Foster Kennedy syndrome?

Foster-Kennedy Syndrome is characterized by unilateral visual loss with a compressive optic atrophy in one eye and contralateral papilledema caused by increased intracranial pressure. The same ophthalmoscopic features however can be seen in the pseudo-Foster-Kennedy Syndrome.

How do you identify papilloedema?

Diagnosis is by ophthalmoscopy with further tests, usually brain imaging and sometimes subsequent lumbar puncture, to determine cause. Treatment is directed at the underlying condition. Papilledema is a sign of elevated intracranial pressure and is almost always bilateral.

How can you tell the difference between papilledema and Papillitis?

Papillitis can be differentiated from papilledema by an afferent pupillary defect (Marcus Gunn pupil), by its greater effect in decreasing visual acuity and color vision, and by the presence of a central scotoma. Papilledema that is not yet chronic will not have as dramatic an effect on vision.

What is a macular star?

Optic disk edema with a macular star is a descriptive term encompassing a heterogeneous group of disorders. The clinical features include sudden visual loss, swelling of the optic disk, peripapillary and macular exudates that may occur in a star pattern, and cells in the vitreous.

What is the pathophysiology of papilledema?

Papilledema is caused by transmission of elevated ICP to the subarachnoid space surrounding the optic nerve that hinders axoplasmic transport within ganglion cell axons. There is ongoing controversy as to whether axoplasmic flow stasis is produced by physical compression of axons or microvascular ischemia.

Is papilledema easy to diagnose?

Pseudopapilledema is a fairly common finding in ophthalmic practice, and in many cases, the diagnosis is straightforward. However, an accurate diagnosis can challenge the most seasoned clinicians, and missing true papilledema can result in life-threatening or vision-threatening consequences.

Which term is used to describe edema of the optic nerve?

Papilledema is the swelling of the optic nerve as it enters the back of the eye due to raised intracranial pressure.

What causes edema in eyes?

Macular edema occurs when there is abnormal leakage and accumulation of fluid in the macula from damaged blood vessels in the nearby retina. A common cause of macular edema is diabetic retinopathy, a disease that can happen to people with diabetes.

How is eye edema treated?

Apply ice or a cold pack wrapped in a clean, wet washcloth to the eye for 15 to 20 minutes at a time to decrease eyelid swelling and pain. You can safely give your child an allergy medicine or antihistamine by mouth. This will help to decrease eyelid swelling and itching. Benadryl every 6 hours or so is best.

Can you go blind from macular edema?

If untreated, chronic macular edema can lead to irreversible damage of the macula and permanent vision loss. Macular edema is typically caused by increased leakage from damaged retinal blood vessels or growth of abnormal blood vessels in the deep retina.

How is papillitis differentiated from papilloedema of raised intracranial pressure?

Is papillitis same as optic neuritis?

Papillitis, also known as optic neuritis, is characterized by inflammation and deterioration of the portion of the optic nerve known as the optic disk.

What causes macular stars?

Macular star formation is caused by the deposition of lipid exudates along the outer plexiform layer of the macula. Few disorders such as neuroretinitis, hypertensive retinopathy and papilloedema are associated with lipid deposits with this peculiar pattern.

Why does the macular star appear?

Neuroretinitis is characterized by an inflammation of the optic disc vasculature with exudation of fluid into the peripapillary retina. The lipid-rich component of the exudate is further able to penetrate into the outer plexiform layer, creating what is clinically seen as a macular star pattern.