The optic nerve is the nerve supplying the retina – the neurological part of the eye receiving different visual images to transmit them to the brain. Optic nerves, therefore, transmit visual images from the eye (retina) to the brain to be processed and analyzed. Optic nerve atrophy (ONA) is basically the death or gradual degeneration of the optic nerve. It could occur due to hereditary causes, endocrine/metabolic causes, brain/eye tumors (ex. pituitary tumors), neurological diseases (ex. multiple sclerosis), head trauma, or due to different retinal disorders – as will be discussed below. Optic nerve atrophy is usually an irreversible chronic condition, and it occurs only following a period of reversible optic nerve abnormality (1).

 Retinal disorders are a separate group of disorders that could actually lead to optic nerve atrophy in the long term. The most-commonly encountered retinal disorder is age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which is responsible for almost 10% of all cases of blindness. Different risk factors often increase one’s risk of developing macular degeneration including smoking, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases (2). Despite both conditions being separate when it comes to the causes, they both follow the same pathway of degeneration and symptoms and will therefore be discussed together in relation to stem cell therapy.