2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
4 Ophthalmic Pathology and Intraocular Tumors
Part I: Ophthalmic Pathology
Chapter 11: Retina and Retinal Pigment Epithelium
Developmental Anomalies
Myelinated Nerve Fibers
Generally, the ganglion cell axonal fibers do not become myelinated until they pass through the lamina cribrosa. However, oligodendroglial cells in the NFL can occasionally produce a myelin sheath around nerve fibers in the retina. Although this type of myelination is usually contiguous with the optic nerve head, it may also occur in isolation, away from the optic nerve head. If large, it can produce a clinically significant scotoma. Myelinated nerve fibers have also been associated with myopia, amblyopia, strabismus, and nystagmus. See BCSC Section 6, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, for additional discussion of myelinated nerve fibers.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 4 - Ophthalmic Pathology and Intraocular Tumors. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.