Optic neuritis: Learn about the symptoms, causes and treatment

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Optic Neuritis
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Optic Neuritis

• Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic
  nerve, the bundle of nerve fibres that transmit
  visual information from your eye to your
  brain.Optic neuritis is associated with
  multiple sclerosis, a disease that
  causes inflammation and damage to nerves in
  your brain and spinal cord. In some people, signs
  and symptoms of optic neuritis may be the first
  indication of multiple sclerosis. Most people
  who have a single episode of optic neuritis
  eventually recover their vision. Treatment with
  steroid medications may speed up vision recovery
  after optic neuritis. 

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Causes of Optic neuritis

• The exact cause of optic neuritis is unknown.
  However, certain autoimmune conditions often are
  associated with optic neuritis
• Multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a
  disease in which your autoimmune system attacks
  the myelin sheath covering nerve fibres in your
  brain and spinal cord. In people with optic
  neuritis, the risk of developing multiple
  sclerosis increases to 50.
• Neuromyelitis optica In this condition,
  inflammation occurs in the optic nerve and spinal
  cord. Neuromyelitis optica is similar to multiple
  sclerosis, but it doesnt cause damage to the
  nerves in the brain as often as multiple
  sclerosis does. Optic neuritis arising from
  neuromyelitis optica tends to be more severe.

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Symptoms

• When it comes to medical problems with the eyes,
  its easily understandable why people should not
  ignore them, especially if they
  experience blurred vision, pain in the eyeballs
  or with the eye movement or even blind spots.
  Following are some of the signs and symptoms of
  optic neuritis
• Pain Most people describe the pain as a burning
  sensation behind one eye. This pain occurs in at
  least 90 of all people with optic neuritis and
  will usually go away in a couple of days as
  the swelling subsides.
• Loss of Visual Acuity Many patients with optic
  neuritis suffer from some form of vision
  problems including but not limited to blurry
  vision, an absence of colour or seeing too much
  of a one colour, a reduction in the amount of
  light they see, Phosphenes or flashes of light
  that occur when they move their eyes or a blank
  spot or scotoma in the middle of the vision of
  the affected eye.

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Symptoms
Continue

• One Eye These symptoms usually only occur in one
  eye, if you are experiencing the problem in both
  eyes you might be having a different problem.
• Onset time In most cases the problems occur over
  a very short period of time hitting their peak
  within 24 to 48 hours.

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How common is Optic neuritis

• In patients who have multiple sclerosis,
  ophthalmologists say that approximately 30-40 of
  all patients will exhibit some symptoms of optic
  neuritis at some time in their lives. In most
  cases it is the one symptom that is responsible
  for helping eye doctor to make the diagnosis of
  multiple sclerosis. Studies point that of all the
  people that have a single episode of optic
  neuritis, most of them will eventually be
  diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

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Treatment

• There is no specific treatment for
  this disorder. This is because there are various
  things that can lead to optic neuritis.
  Therefore, before starting to treat their
  patients with corticosteroids, eye doctors try to
  find out what was the exact cause that provoked
  the symptoms experienced by their patients.Most
  people regain close to normal vision within 12
  months after an optic neuritis episode. Optic
  neuritis can recur in people without underlying
  conditions, but those people generally have a
  better long-term prognosis for their vision than
  do people with multiple sclerosis or
  neuromyelitis optica.

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