Eye-rubbing optic neuropathy

PURPOE: To decribe a patient whoe “normal tenion glaucoma” appear to have been produced by a long-tanding habit of repetitive, bilateral eye rubbing. DEIGN: Obervational cae report. METHOD: A 46-year-old man preented with a “haze” over the left eye and had progreive bilateral optic neuropathy aociated with bilateral normal intraocular preure, pathological cupping of the optic dik, and nerve fiber bundle viual field defect. REULT: Over a 4-year period, viion in the left eye deteriorated to no light perception. Progreive deterioration in the right eye topped only after the patient ceaed a 20-year habit of forceful rubbing of hi eye. After that, the decline in viion wa terminated and both viual acuity and viual field were tabilized over an 8-year follow-up. CONCLUION: It may be appropriate to include “eye rubbing” in the differential diagnoi of unexplained progreive optic neuropathy in preumed normal tenion glaucoma.