How to Identify Optic Neuritis
Optic neuritis refers to any inflammation affecting the optic nerve. It can cause a drastic vision loss, as well as considerable pain. Even more ominously, it can be the first sign of oncoming multiple sclerosis. If you notice any of the symptoms listed in this article, the earlier you can start to get treatment, the better your long-term chances are.
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Instructions
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Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of optic neuritis. If these become apparent to you, seek medical help as soon as possible. The "classic triad" of symptoms includes eye pain, vision loss, and dyschromatopsia, or inaccurate color vision. The pain generally comes first, and as it goes away vision loss starts, setting in over the course of several months. Additional indicators include the perception of quick light flashes (about 2 seconds or less)--these are called phosphenes, and they occur when there is sudden movement or sound. Vision loss may become even worse in bright light. When your physician examines you, if you do have optic neuritis, you may have swelling in your optic disc.
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Check out these statistics. The most likely group to contract this condition is whites of Northern European descent, who are eight times more likely to get optic neuritis than Asians or blacks. Whites of Mediterranean origin are in between those two groups. Women are twice as likely to contract optic neuritis as men are. The average age of a first-time patient is 30.
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Get to the doctor if you are uncertain about your own condition. You will undergo an eye examination, and you may need an MRI. The purpose of the MRI, by and large, is to see if there is excessive white matter surrounding your brain--this is a predictor of multiple sclerosis.
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Learn about recovery, which is generally spontaneous; however, IV treatments with methyl prednisolone have been proven to return some visual function. This is only a short-term benefit, but it is useful for patients who need a swifter recovery. The good news is that 80% of patients end up returning to 20/30 vision or better; the bad news is that 35% of patients end up getting optic neuritis again--not to mention the numbers that end up with multiple sclerosis.
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Tips & Warnings
If you see the symptoms in Step 1, get medical attention as soon as possible.
