Walsh & Hoyt: Stages of Papilledema

Stereoscopic viewing of a normal optic disc often reveals mild nasal elevation of the nerve fiber layer, owing to the increased density of nerve fibers representing the temporal visual field. With the direct ophthalmoscope the nasal disc margin may appear indistinct compared to the temporal disc rim. The vessels are generally seen coursing across the optic nerve head, although, rarely, a portion of a major vessel may be obscured in the upper pole.