Ophthalmoscopy of the retinal nerve fiber layer. Use in detection of neurologic disease

N. M. Newman, P. E. Tornambe and J. J. Corbett

Ophthalmoscopic examination of the retinal nerve fiber layer may demonstrate changes associated with a variety of diseases. These alterations are of four general types: slit or rake defects, sector atrophy, diffuse atrophy, and density changes in the nerve fibers themselves. With practice and the use of a bright source of "red-free" light, recognition of these alterations provides a bedside tool for evaluation of te anterior visual pathways.