How does a damaged optic nerve regenerate? | The Optic Nerve

How does a damaged optic nerve regenerate?

The injury of the optic nerve is a very sensitive topic in medicine, as the prognosis is usually unfortunately rather poor. Until now, it has been believed that nerves in general are hardly able to regenerate. There are various studies that show, especially in animal models, that partial regeneration of the optic nerve can occur after injury.

However, these studies are not yet transferable to humans. For this reason, the primary goal in the case of an injured optic nerve is to prevent further or progressive injury and to try to protect the optic nerve as much as possible. Often the damage caused by an injury is irreversible. This is due to the inability of the nerve cells in the optic nerve to divide and thereby replace other dead or injured cells.