title: Is there treatment for nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is the most common cause of an acute optic neuropathy over the age 50 with an annual incidence of 2-10/100 000. Most patients are left with a permanent decrease in visual acuity and visual field loss. No approved treatment has conclusively reversed the process or prevented a second event that typically involves the previously unaffected eye. Many medical and surgical treatments have been proposed with conflicting results. The goal of this review is to present current data in order to permit clinicians and patients to make an educated decision about treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recently, there has been a flurry of case reports, small clinical trials and testing in animal models of NAION for various treatments for NAION and this review attempts to present the data concisely with the authors' opinions about the reliability of the data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To date, there is no class I evidence of benefit for the treatment of NAION; however, the aphorism attributed to Carl Sagan, PhD aptly applies: 'Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence'.
authors.affiliation: aGeorgetown University Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland, USA bUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Trobe
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D018917:Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones