Schnabel cavernous degeneration: a vascular change of the aging eye.

Context: Schnabel cavernous degeneration is a histologic finding originally attributed to glaucoma; however, its cause and significance have been controversial.

Objective: To determine the basic cause of the formation of cavernous spaces in the proximal optic nerve and its clinical significance.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 4500 autopsy eyes processed for histologic evaluation between 1967 and 1991.

Results: Ninety-three (2.1% of eyes examined) cases of Schnabel cavernous optic atrophy were identified. The majority of the eyes were from women (81%). The mean age of the entire group was 88 years (reference range, 54-103 years). Severe vascular anomalies were present in 75% of the individuals. Cavernous degeneration was unilateral in 82% of the cases. Loss of ganglion cells and nerve fiber layer consistent with glaucoma was found in 23.7% of the individuals. Clinical information was available for 15 individuals (16%). Half of them were thought to have some clinical optic nerve damage; in the remainder, no specific optic disc abnormalities were noted. Histologic findings of arteriolosclerosis in the optic nerve circulation were common. The prevalence of glaucoma was low.

Conclusions: Schnabel cavernous optic atrophy appears to be a unilateral condition of elderly women with systemic vascular disease and few characteristic ocular features. Our data indicate that a chronic vascular occlusive disease of the proximal optic nerve is more involved in cavernous atrophic pathogenesis than is a sustained increase of intraocular pressure.