| Optic neuritis occurs when the optic nerve, the pathway that
transmits visual information to the brain, becomes inflamed and the
myelin sheath becomes damaged or is destroyed.
It typically occurs
in one eye at a time (70%), and the resulting vision loss is
rapid and progressive, but only temporary.
Thirty percent of patients will experience optic neuritis in both
eyes at the same time, and can suffer severe vision impairment or temporary
blindness, although this is rare.
Nerve damage that occurs in the section of the optic nerve
located behind the eye, is called retrobulbar neuritis, which
is another term sometimes used for optic neuritis.Optic neuritis sometimes causes pain, usually when the eye is moved.
Although uncomfortable, pain associated with optic neuritis tends
to be less severe than that of other nerve conditions which cause pain
such as trigeminal neuralgia. It typically consists of a sharp stabbing
but fleeting type of pain immediately behind the eye.
Optic neuritis is seldom permanent although it may reoccur.
The duration of an episode tends to be somewhere between 4 and 12
weeks, although arguably, this may be improved by a short course
of steroid treatment. |
