Can you be born with Papilledema?

[I_c_said_the_blind_man]

My eye Dr. recently said my optic nerve looked "funny" and could be signs of papilledema...but since that was my first visit with him he said that I could have been born that way since he had nothing to compare it to.  No other Dr. has ever mentioned this at any other eye exam.  Is this something you can be born with?

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

There is a finding called "pseudopapilledema" in which the optic nerve can have some characteristics similar to true papilledema but is not true papilledema.  Optic nerve head drusen is one possible cause of "pseudopapilledema" and while it is not completely without problems it is certainly much less serious than true papilledema which can be an indicator of several dangerous medical conditions.  A neuro-ophthalmologist should be able to tell you more conclusively if your optic nerves are normal or if you have pseudopapillema or true papilledema.  Patients may sometimes need diagnostic tests like an MRI and sometimes even a lumbar puncture to get the final answer.

MJK MD