This study described the etiology and clinical profile of non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy (NGON) cases in a tertiary government hospital in Quezon City, Philippines.

This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients seen at a neuro-ophthalmology clinic of a tertiary referral center in Quezon City, Philippines from January 01, 2008 to December 31, 2020. The patients’ medical records were reviewed and the following data were extracted and analyzed: demographic data, mechanism of NGON, and clinical profile.

A total of 911 patient records were reviewed. Most patients were males (61.3%) within the economically productive age group (72.7%). Overall, the top three mechanisms that contributed to NGON were (1) trauma-related (25.9%), (2) ischemic (19.8%), and (3) inflammatory causes (18.0%). When patients were stratified by age, the most common causes in the pediatric group were traumatic (33.9%), inflammatory (28.6%), and papilledema-related (11.3%) optic neuropathies. In the middle age group, traumatic (29.1%), inflammatory (18.5%), and ischemic (17.8%) etiologies predominated. Among the elderly, ischemic (44.0%), drug-induced (26.1%), and compressive (17.9%) causes were most frequently identified.

Traumatic optic neuropathy emerged as the leading cause of vision loss from NGON in both pediatric and middle aged groups. In the absence of trauma, further investigations should focus on inflammatory and papilledema-related etiologies in the pediatric and middle aged groups. Among the elderly, ischemia and drug-induced toxic optic neuropathies were the most prevalent, with thorough history-taking being crucial for identifying medication-related causes.