Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Papiledema
Papilledema (PA-pil-eh-DEE-muh)
Swelling around the optic disk, the area where the optic nerve (the nerve that carries messages from the eye to the brain) enters the eyeball. Papilledema occurs when increased brain pressure caused by tumors or other problems results in swelling of the optic nerve.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.