Optic Nerve Damage caused by Chronic Cornea Errosion?

I have been dealing with Chronic Cornea Errosion for 6 years (began with a deep laceration on my cornea).  I have had a cornea scraping and it has not stopped the problem.  In this last episode I used the steroid drops as prescribed but now they told me that I may have optic nerve damage in the eye but will not be certain until a complete exam in January.  My question is after dealing with this for 6 years with the same treatment - why all of the sudden would it cause optic nerve damage?  I can tell something is not right because my vision in that eye has not gone back to normal as it has in the past.  It is a little blurry.  Also what kind of treatment can I expect - if there is any?

Thank you.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

You may have had the damage to the optic nerve when you had the corneal injury.  The change to the optic nerve takes a few months after damage to show a change.  However, a careful exam of the pupil would have shown an afferent pupil defect (abnormal pupil response in the damaged eye compared to the normal eye).  There is no treatment for the optic nerve damage.

Dr. O.

[ktd1221]

Thank you for your response.