Dolman C L, McCormick A Q, Drance S M
Arch Ophthalmol. 1980 Nov;98(11):2053-8. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1980.01020040905024.
Histologic studies were carried out on 300 optic nerves covering ages from birth to 96 years. The optic nerve is small and nearly unmyelinated at birth. It rapidly grows and becomes medullated. With advancing years, the leptomeninges and fibrous septa become broader and occupy an increasingly larger proportion of the cross-sectional area of the nerve. The axons progressively diminish, and this probably reflects primarily a loss of ganglion cells and would contribute considerably to reduced visual acuity in the older population. Other age-associated degenerative changes are corpora amylacea and lipofuscin in astrocytic cytoplasm. In the older population, scars, swollen axons, and Schnabel's cavernous degeneration become common, indicating a high incidence of vascular impairment.
对300条涵盖从出生到96岁年龄段的视神经进行了组织学研究。视神经在出生时较小且几乎无髓鞘。它迅速生长并开始髓鞘化。随着年龄的增长，软脑膜和纤维间隔变宽，在神经横截面积中所占比例越来越大。轴突逐渐减少，这可能主要反映了神经节细胞的丧失，并在很大程度上导致老年人群视力下降。其他与年龄相关的退行性变化是星形胶质细胞胞质中的淀粉样体和脂褐素。在老年人群中，瘢痕、轴突肿胀和施纳贝尔海绵状变性变得常见，表明血管损伤的发生率很高。
