Abstract: Optic atrophy is clinically common and usually accompanied with different severity of visual function impairment. The key point is that the clinical manifestation and visual outcomes are different among the patients with optic atrophies caused by different conditions. Special attention should be paid to distinguishing optic atrophy and congenital optic disc anomaly, isolated inherited optic neuropathy and optic atrophy as part of the systemic neurological diseases, and some conditions mimicking optic atrophy. Precise understanding of optic atrophy is very important for finding the causes, starting good treatment strategy and eventually protecting the patients’ visual function.

Key words: optic atrophy/differential diagnosis, visual pathway