University of Iowa
Tumors of the Optic Nerve Initiative (TONI)
General information Optic nerve tumors are uncommon but treatable. The two main
optic nerve tumors are optic pathway gliomas and optic nerve meningiomas.
Optic pathway gliomas are usually low grade tumors
of children which typically present with visual changes.
These may be associated with neurofibromatosis type I. For
patients with an optic nerve glioma, the surgical indications
are relatively few. They include: (1) to establish a diagnosis
in cases where clinical and radiographic features are atypical
for those of a glioma and (2) to debulk the tumor in cases
with associated hydrocephalus and/or mass effect. Individuals
who meet these criteria are candidates for craniotomy, biopsy,
and/or resection. Most optic nerve gliomas are managed with
other treatment modalities such as radiation therapy or
chemotherapy.
Optic nerve meningiomas are benign neoplasms which
present in adults with chronic, progressive visual loss.
Surgical resection usually has unacceptable visual morbidity
and treatment when needed is usually radiation therapy.
Other brain tumors (e.g. pituitary adenoma, cranipharyngioma,
and intracranial meningioma) may cause visual loss or double
vision due to compression of the nerves to the eye.
The care and treatment of these optic nerve tumors requires
a multidisciplinary approach. The University of Iowa Tumors
of the Optic Nerve Initiative (TONI) and the Optic Nerve Center
are uniquely suited to improve the care of patients now and
in the future.
