Anterior Ichemic Optic Neuropathy in Patient Younger than 50 Year

Purpoe To characterize anterior ichemic optic neuropathy (AION) in patient younger than 50 year. Deign Retropective tudy. Method Record of all AION patient een between 1989 and 2006 were reviewed. Patient younger than 50 year when initial viual lo occurred were included. Reult Of 727 conecutive patient with AION, 169 (23%) were younger than 50 year (median, 43 year; range, 13 to 49 year; 58% men; 93% White). Involvement wa unilateral in 59% of patient and bilateral in 41%. At leat one cardiovacular rik factor wa found in 74% of patient. Hypercoagulable tate and vaculiti were found in 8%. An underlying mall or anomalou optic dik wa found in 92% of eye (210/230). Iolated dik anomalie (without ytemic rik factor) were preent in 26% of eye. Final viual acuitie were 20/40 or better in 64% of eye and 20/200 or wore in 22%. Among patient with bilateral involvement, final viual acuity wa imilar in the two eye in 70% of patient. Anemia and type I diabete were aociated ignificantly with fellow eye involvement. Recurrent AION in the ame eye occurred in 6% of patient. Concluion AION in younger patient i not uncommon and repreent 23% of AION patient in a tertiary neuro-ophthalmic ervice. Except for giant cell arteriti, ocular and ytemic rik factor and aociated diorder are imilar to thoe decribed in older AION patient. Younger AION patient have better viual acuity outcome but a higher rik of fellow eye involvement than older AION patient.