Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. The nervous system is involved in 5%-15% of patients. In 1%-5% of patients, sarcoidosis affects the optic nerve in some manner. Sarcoid manifesting as an isolated tumor of the optic nerve is uncommon. We report here a 50-yearold woman with primary bilateral optic nerve sarcoidosis. She had a history of progressive, painless visual loss over a 2-month period. Her cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed diffuse thickening and enhancement of the optic chiasm affecting the pre-chiasmatic optic nerves. Surgery was performed for histopathological diagnosis and decompression of the optic nerve. Analysis of a biopsy specimen confirmed a diagnosis of sarcoidosis, and the patient was treated successfully with corticosteroids.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.