Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy
MONDO:0006649Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) is an eye disease characterized by infarction of the optic disk leading to vision loss. It can be nonarteritic (nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy or NAION) or arteritic, the latter being associated with giant cell arteritis (GCA; often termed temporal arteritis). Vision loss with both varieties is typically rapid (over minutes, hours, or days) and painless. Symptoms such as a general feeling of being unwell (malaise), muscle aches and pains, headaches over the temple, pain when combing hair, pain in the jaw after chewing, and tenderness over the temporal artery (one of the major arteries of the head) may be present with giant cell arteritis. At exam, visual acuity is reduced and the optic disk is swollen. In both subtypes, visual field examination is often reduced in the inferior and central visual fields. The visual loss is usually permanent, with some recovery possibly occurring within the first weeks or months. The arteritic variety is treated with corticosteroids. Treatment of the nonarteritic variety withaspirinor corticosteroids has not been helpful.
Also known as: ischaemic optic neuropathy, ischemic optic neuropathy, aion, optic disc infarction leading to vision loss, optic disk infarction leading to vision loss
15 clinical trials for this condition and its sub-types.
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Broader categories
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Could stem cells restore sight in damaged eyes?
Disease control Recruiting nowThis study tests whether injecting a person's own bone marrow stem cells into or near the eye can help treat various retinal and optic nerve diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and glaucoma. Participants receive stem cell injections via dif…
Phase: NA • Sponsor: MD Stem Cells • Aim: Disease control
Last updated Jul 01, 2026 00:00 UTC
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Nasal spray could reverse sudden blindness in groundbreaking trial
Disease control Recruiting nowThis study tests a nasal spray called cenegermin to see if it can improve vision in people who recently lost eyesight from a condition called NAION (a stroke in the optic nerve). About 272 adults will receive either the spray or a placebo. The goal is to measure if more people ga…
Phase: PHASE3 • Sponsor: Dompé Farmaceutici S.p.A • Aim: Disease control
Last updated Jun 27, 2026 14:01 UTC
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Can a gene therapy reverse aging in the eye? new trial begins
Disease control Recruiting nowThis early-stage trial is testing a single dose of ER-100, a gene therapy designed to reverse age-related changes in retinal cells, in 18 adults with open-angle glaucoma or NAION. Participants receive the therapy via an eye injection and take doxycycline for 8 weeks to activate i…
Phase: PHASE1 • Sponsor: Life Biosciences Inc. • Aim: Disease control
Last updated Jun 27, 2026 12:36 UTC
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Super camera could catch eye diseases before they steal your sight
Diagnosis Recruiting nowThis study tests a special camera that takes detailed images of the retina using many wavelengths of light. Researchers hope it can find early signs of eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. About 1,000 adults in Melbourne, Austral…
Phase: NA • Sponsor: Center for Eye Research Australia • Aim: Diagnosis
Last updated Jun 27, 2026 12:24 UTC
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New MRI technique could spot eye strokes faster
Diagnosis Recruiting nowThis study tests whether an extra 8-minute MRI scan can better detect anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION), a type of eye stroke. Researchers will enroll 250 adults with suspected AION and compare the new scan to standard MRI. The goal is to see if the new method is more sen…
Sponsor: Fondation Ophtalmologique Adolphe de Rothschild • Aim: Diagnosis
Last updated Jun 27, 2026 08:08 UTC
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Could insulin eye drops save your sight?
Symptom relief Recruiting nowThis early-stage trial tests whether insulin eye drops are safe for people with glaucoma and other optic nerve conditions. Researchers at Stanford will give different doses of insulin drops to 52 participants for 1-2 months. The main goal is to check for side effects, but they wi…
Phase: PHASE1 • Sponsor: Stanford University • Aim: Symptom relief
Last updated Jun 27, 2026 07:59 UTC
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New imaging study aims to stop blindness from misdiagnosed artery inflammation
Knowledge-focused Recruiting nowThis study looks at two conditions that can cause sudden vision loss: giant cell arteritis (GCA), a blood vessel inflammation that needs urgent treatment, and NAION, a similar condition that does not benefit from that treatment. Researchers will use special PET/MRI scans and eye …
Sponsor: Rigshospitalet, Denmark • Aim: Knowledge-focused
Last updated Jun 27, 2026 12:30 UTC
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New laser tech captures eye blood flow in unprecedented detail
Knowledge-focused Recruiting nowThis study aims to create a database of eye images using a new holographic Doppler laser device. The goal is to better visualize and measure blood flow in the retina and choroid, which is important for diagnosing eye diseases. About 123 adults, both with and without eye condition…
Sponsor: Fondation Ophtalmologique Adolphe de Rothschild • Aim: Knowledge-focused
Last updated Jun 27, 2026 08:03 UTC
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New laser device could revolutionize eye disease detection
Knowledge-focused Recruiting nowThis study is testing a new non-invasive device that uses laser speckle to measure blood flow and structure inside the eye. Researchers will compare these images with standard vision tests in 500 people with various retinal conditions. The goal is to see if this technology can be…
Phase: NA • Sponsor: Randy Kardon • Aim: Knowledge-focused
Last updated Jun 27, 2026 08:00 UTC