Loss of the ocular pulse in the acute phase of temporal arteritis.

Severe cases of temporal arteritis often have infarctions of the optic nervehead. Such cases frequently have a decrease in the amplitude of the ocular pulse. This is in contrast to cases of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy not due to temporal arteritis. In addition to aiding in the diagnosis of temporal arteritis, monitoring of the ocular pulse may help in following the course of this disease.