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Editor,—It is generally accepted that ectatic or even normal intracranial blood vessels can cause dysfunction of cranial nerves when situated in an aberrant location.1-3Although the occurrence of such compression damage to the optic nerve is poorly recognised, several studies have shown the optic nerves can in fact be damaged by vascular compression.4-8 Recently, optic nerve compression by normal internal carotid arteries (ICA) has been suggested as a possible cause of visual field defects in patients with optic neuropathy4-6 and normal tension glaucoma (NTG).7 8 Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain the aetiology of NTG; however, the exact cause of NTG remains to be elucidated.9
The present study was designed to determine whether optic nerve compression by the ICA can play a role in the visual field defects in patients with NTG.
Sixteen Japanese patients with NTG (average 65.3 …