MRCP UK EXAMINATIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -Glaucoma can cause the cup to enlarge (actually little nerve fibers are being wiped out along the rim of the optic nerve in glaucoma). Some doctors refer to an enlarged cup/disc ratio as cupping or a cupped nerve. Glaucoma typically causes the cup to get bigger in a vertical oval type pattern.

Detailed explanation-2: -Glaucoma is caused by high pressure in the eye damaging the optic nerve, which results in loss of individual nerve cells. This causes a subsequent increase in the size of the cup, also called cupping. As a general rule, the cup should not make up more than three tenths or 30% of the total area of the optic nerve.

Detailed explanation-3: -1. Optic disc pallor in excess of cupping. Various insults can occur to the optic nerve and manifest ophthalmoscopically as pallor, atrophy, cupping and notching. By far, the most common optic nerve affliction is glaucoma.

Detailed explanation-4: -Key optic disc changes in glaucoma. Glaucoma is characterised by progressive thinning of the neuroretinal rim. As retinal nerve fibres are lost due to glaucoma, the optic cup enlarges. The optic disc is normally vertically oval in dimension, but the cup itself is normally horizontally oval.