Corpora amylacea of the optic nerve and retina: a form of neuronal degeneration.

One hundred autopsy eyes were examined by light microscopy. Corpora amylacea (CA) occurred in 93% of the cases. Histochemical stains showed that these deposits are composed of sulfated polysaccharides. The fine structure of CA showed delicate, straight 6 to 7 nm thick filaments best demonstrated with the Thiery stain. In three cases, electron-dense vesicles resembling presynaptic vesicles were noted. These structures are characteristic of axons rather than of glial cells and could be related to protein synthesis. CA were present within myelinated and unmyelinated nerves and probably represent products of axonal degeneration.