Optic neuritis is an eye problem that can affect people with multiple sclerosis. Diagnosis of optic neuritis is centered on past medical records and analysis, hence getting appropriate evidence and executing accurate ophthalmic investigation is crucial.
Some individuals get well with no treatment for optic neuritis. Nevertheless, a lot of individuals require treatment to improve vision or, at least, keep their symptoms to the minimum. Several studies offer holistic therapy for the improvement of optic nerve damage or partial blindness. Let us see how the condition is diagnosed and how it is treated.
How To Diagnose Optic Neuritis?
When you have optic neuritis, the nerve that sends messages from your eye to your brain indicates that the nerve is inflamed. This condition doesn’t take days to weeks to show symptoms instead it happens suddenly, and your vision gets blurred and your eyes start to hurt. Perhaps, this is a widespread symptom of multiple sclerosis.
Although optic neuritis patients encounter intimidating situations, yet this condition is treatable and people recover completely without treatment. If your doctor thinks you have optic neuritis, you may be referred to an ophthalmologist to perform routine eye exams to determine your color vision, check your reading ability in the chart and your peripheral vision.1
The diagnosis of optic neuritis is centered on a pattern of symptoms and warning signs.
Ophthalmologic Test– The ophthalmologic test might support in indicating deformities at the back of the eye in the optic disc. This is typically performed with the help of an ophthalmoscope. The optic nerve head can easily be visualized with an ophthalmoscope.
MRI Scan– Magnetic resonance imaging is one of the effective sources for getting direct images of the optic nerves. An MRI is important to determine whether there are damaged areas (lesions) in your brain and may confirm the diagnosis of acute demyelinating optic neuritis. The acute condition can often be the initial episode for a patient who will subsequently develop multiple sclerosis.
Optical Coherence Tomography– This is a non-invasive imaging technique routinely used in ophthalmology to envision and measure the layers of the retina. Moreover, optical coherence tomography is effective in patients with multiple sclerosis in differentiating macular disorders from optic neuritis and in examining the care.2.3
What Is The Best Medicine For Optic Neuritis? Treatment of optic neuritis continues to be debatable, even though several clinical examinations have been performed to ascertain solid therapeutic guidelines. With the advancement in medical science, the treatment procedure has changed in recent years especially after the study of Optic Neuritis Treatment Trials.
Optic Neuritis Treatment– The Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial (ONTT) has had an extremely substantial influence on the procedures of ophthalmology and neurology. This methodology was formulated to identify exactly the medical summary of patients with optic neuritis, to verify the importance of corticosteroid medication, and to ascertain the probability of developing multiple sclerosis.
In patients with an initial acute appearance of optic neuritis, three consecutive days of high dose IV methylprednisolone followed by oral steroids for 11 days. The visual advantage of treating acute optic neuritis with intravenous ensued by oral corticosteroids is short term, restricted to an enhanced level of improvement. However, patients treated with intravenous steroids had a small number of recurrent attacks of optic neuritis than patients treated with oral steroids alone.
The following list of medications is used in the treatment of this condition.
- Corticotropin is an approved treatment for acute optic neuritis and all the optic neuritis patients were treated with subcutaneous corticotropin.
- Acthar
- HP Acthar Gel 4,5
- Optic neuritis – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/optic-neuritis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354958
- The Diagnosis and Treatment of Optic Neuritis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4581115/
- Optic Neuritis: When MS Affects Your Vision https://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/optic-neuritis-ms-vision#1
- Optic neuritis and neuropathy: Symptoms, causes, treatments https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/optic-neuritis.htm
- Which medications are used in the treatment of optic neuritis (ON)? https://www.medscape.com/answers/1217083-37638/which-medications-are-used-in-the-treatment-of-optic-neuritis-on
Also Read:
- Optic Neuritis or Retrobulbar Neuritis: Epidemiology, Causes, Signs, Treatment, Tests
- Does Optic Neuritis Show Up On MRI & Can Eye Test Detect It?
- Can Stress Cause Optic Neuritis & Does It Cause Headaches?
- What Is The Difference Between Optic Neuritis & Optic Neuropathy?
- Can You Have Optic Neuritis In Both Eyes & Does It Always Lead To MS?
