Can cupping in an infant be reversed?
Yes, cupping can be improved slightly even in older ages, but is most noticeable in the young because the sclera surrounding the hole that the nerve goes through is elastic. The younger the patient, the more distensible (stretchable) the canal is that the optic nerve goes through. Raising the intraocular pressure not only kills nerve fibers (showing up as an increasing cup in the middle of the nerve), but also increases the width of the canal. That makes the central cup look much bigger than it really is. When the IOP is dropped to normal, the canal shrinks back to normal and the central cup is smaller. Don’t confuse reversibility of cupping with improvement in the amount of nerve damage. That rarely improves more than a little bit. Dr.
