title: Etiology and clinical profile of childhood optic nerve atrophy at a tertiary eye care center in South India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Optic nerve atrophy is an important ophthalmological sign that may be associated with serious systemic conditions having a significant bearing on the overall morbidity of the child. Studies specific to etiology of childhood optic atrophy are scarce, this being the first such study from India to the best of our knowledge.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to analyze the clinical features and etiology of diagnosed cases of optic nerve atrophy in children <16 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of records of children diagnosed with optic nerve atrophy between the ages of 0 and 16 years from 2006 to 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 324 children (583 eyes) were identified. Among these 160 (49%) presented with defective vision, 71 (22%) with strabismus, 18 (6%) with only nystagmus. Rest had a combination of two or three of the above symptoms. Sixty-five patients (20%) had a unilateral affection. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy seen in 133 patients (41%) was the most frequent cause of childhood optic atrophy, followed by idiopathic in 98 (30%), hydrocephalus in 24 (7%), compressive etiology in 18 (5%), infective in 19 (6%), congenital in 6 (2%), inflammatory in 5 (2%) patients, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy appears to be the most common cause of optic atrophy in children in this series. The most common presenting complaint was defective vision.
authors.forename: Supriya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chinta
authors.forename: Batriti S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Wallang
authors.forename: Virender
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sachdeva
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Preeti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Patil-Chhablani
authors.affiliation: Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, L V Prasad Eye Institute, KAR Campus, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kekunnaya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004596:Electroretinography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009896:Optic Atrophy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed