The natural history of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) in Caucasians has been well documented. However, it is uncertain whether Southeast Asians with NAION behave similarly. In this case series, the authors described the baseline clinical characteristics of 121 consecutive NAION patients who presented to the Singapore National Eye Centre (90% Chinese); and their six-month follow-up data, which was only available for 51 patients (53 eyes). None of these patients received any specific treatment. Vascular risk factors were identified in all but six patients (11.7%). The visual acuity was normal at presentation in 40% of cases and unchanged in 85%. Visual field defects, present in all patients, were unchanged in 77% of cases, improved in 15.5% and worsened in 7.5% at 6 months. In contrast, in the study by Hayreh and Zimmerman, based in Iowa, USA (Hayreh SS, Zimmerman MB. Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy: Natural history of visual outcome. Ophthalmology 2008;115:298-305.e2.), of 386 eyes with NAION, 42.5% remained unchanged, 40.5% had overall improvement and 17% deteriorated. This study provides useful prognostic information for neuro-ophthalmologists treating NAION patients in the Southeast Asia area.
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