Walsh & Hoyt: Pathogenesis of Acquired Optic Disc Pallor

Loss of function within the CNS is consistently associated with a reduction of blood supply to the affected tissue, regardless of the primary pathogenetic process. When the optic nerve degenerates, its blood supply is reduced, and smaller vessels that have been recognizable in the normal nerve are no longer visible. Optic atrophy reflects this reduction of blood supply and also the formation of reactive glial tissue. Quigley and Anderson performed histopathologic studies on monkey eyes with descending optic atrophy and suggested that the factors important for the normal pink appearance of the optic disc were its thickness and the cytoarchitecture of fiber bundles passing between glial columns containing capillaries.