Various processes are involved in the production, quality control, and degradation of damaged mitochondria in retinal ganglion cells. Some of these processes are shared with many types of cells in the body. These include mitochondrial biogenesis, fission, fusion, and mitophagy. Other processes are unique to neurons and provide a means of overcoming energetic challenges associated with axonal length. At the present, local biogenesis, modulation of mitochondrial mobility along the axon, and transmitophagy have been identified as mechanisms occurring uniquely in retinal ganglion cells (or neurons in general).