Is the phrase 'disc at risk' more associated with AAION or NAION?

• A. AAION
• B. NAION
• C. Both
• D. None

Answer: (B)

Disc at risk describes a structurally crowded optic nerve head with a small cup-to-disc ratio. This anatomy makes the optic nerve head more vulnerable to ischemia when blood flow drops, which is the hallmark of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). In NAION, the underlying issue is insufficient perfusion to an already predisposed disc, often related to vascular risk factors or nocturnal hypotension. In contrast, arteritic AION from giant cell arteritis is driven by inflammatory occlusion of the short posterior ciliary arteries, and while the disc can be acutely swollen, the term disc at risk isn’t the descriptor used. So the phrase is more associated with NAION.