Useful notes for medical students
Click here to view an earlier site with useful notes, unfortunately some images have been lost, however all the text is still present.
diabetic papillopathy
Diabetic papillopathy
Figure 1 showing diabetic papillopathy with a grossly swollen disc.
Diabetic papillopathy is a form of optic neuropathy occasionally described in patients with diabetes mellitus.
It is rare and the classical presentation is in a young adult with type 1 diabetes.
Symptoms are usually mild, often seen as a slow progressive blurring of vision.
Signs are usually, but not invariably, unilateral.
It may be an incidental finding in an asymptomatic patient.
Visual acuity is often slightly reduced or normal, with or without an enlarged blind spot. Optic disc swelling can be striking, with distended surface vessels.
Signs of diabetic macular oedema are often present.
The pathogenesis is unknown. No relationship has been demonstrated between diabetic papillopathy and either diabetic retinopathy or glycaemic control. Hypoxia is thought to play a role.
Although, diabetic papillopathy has been considered a form of anterior optic neuropathy (AION), its presentation and prognosis differ profoundly from arteritic AION in which visual loss is sudden and profound, with a poor prognosis for recovery
