Optic neuritis
| Optic neuritis | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Ophthalmology, neurology |
| ICD-10 | H46, G44.848 |
| ICD-9-CM | 377.30 |
| DiseasesDB | 9242 |
| MedlinePlus | 000741 |
| eMedicine | radio/488 |
| MeSH | D009902 |
Optic neuritis is a demyelinating inflammation of the optic nerve. It is also known as optic papillitis (when the head of the optic nerve is involved) and retrobulbar neuritis (when the posterior of the nerve is involved). It is most often associated with multiple sclerosis, and it may lead to complete or partial loss of vision in one or both eyes.
Partial, transient vision loss (lasting less than one hour) can be an indication of early onset multiple sclerosis. Other possible diagnoses include: diabetes mellitus, low phosphorus levels, or hyperkalaemia.
Major symptoms are sudden loss of vision (partial or complete), sudden blurred or "foggy" vision, and pain on movement of the affected eye. Early symptoms that require investigation include symptoms from Multiple Sclerosis (Twitching, No Coordination, Slurred Speech, Frequent episodes of Partial Vision Loss or blurred Vision), Episodes of "disturbed/blackened" rather than blurry indicate moderate stage and require immediate medical attention to prevent further loss of vision. Other early symptoms are reduced night vision, photophobia and red eyes. Many patients with optic neuritis may lose some of their color vision in the affected eye (especially red), with colors appearing subtly washed out compared to the other eye. Patients may also experience difficulties judging movement in depth which can be particular troublesome during driving or sport (Pulfrich effect). Likewise transient worsening of vision with increase of body temperature (Uhthoff's phenomenon) and glare disability are a frequent complaint. However, several case studies in children have demonstrated the absence of pain in more than half of cases (approximately 60%) in their pediatric study population, with the most common symptom reported simply as "blurriness." Other remarkable differences between the presentation of adult optic neuritis as compared to pediatric cases include more often unilateral optic neuritis in adults, while children much predominantly present with bilateral involvement.
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