Update On Eye Appointment

Well, we did not get the encouraging news we were praying for. The doctor is a really nice man, very glad we found him. He is very different from the other eye doctor she was going to. He is very caring, we like that. He told us that she has what is known as optical atrophy. Here is the definition: The optic nerve is composed of mostly axons from the millions of ganglion cells within the inner layer of the retina. The optic nerve goes from the eye, crosses at the optic chiasm, ( after which it is called the optic radiation) and innervates the vision centers of the brain. In optic atrophy, some of the ganglion cell axons that make-up the optic nerve have died, or are dying. When the eye doctor looks into the eye, the optic nerve looks white or pale instead of the normal pink, healthy color. A large number of things can cause optic atrophy, either things within the eye, or things within the brain. Sometimes optic atrophy can occur by itself, but most of the time its associated with, or a symptom of, another serious disease. Optic atrophy is never a good sign, and often requires a through work-up to identify the cause. Optic atrophy can lead to varying degrees of vision loss; from near-normal vision to complete blindness. Vision can decrease rapidly in some cases. She has to go have an MRI next Friday(December 7), please keep praying. She is smiling all the way through this, that is one of the many reasons I love her. She wanted me to tell you all, that she appreciates your love, prayers, and friendship more than you will ever know. She loves you all very much. She is going to try to get online tomorrow, bye for now.