OPTIC NEURITIS

Overview and Facts

Optic Neuritis is an enlargement of the optic nerves, which are responsible for transmitting information from the eye to the brain. It often happens in people ages 20 up to 40 years old, and women are more prone to it. This mostly occurs in white people and can modify your genes and commonly affect one eye.

The leading cause of this remains a question. Still, many scientists strongly believe that it results when our immune system attacks mistakenly the covering of the optic nerve which can harm and injure the myelin, the part responsible for sending electrical impulses from the eye to the brain. Those electrical impulses are converted into images.

Types and Symptoms

SYMPTOMS

Eye pain – people with optic neuritis commonly experience eye pain because of constant blinking or moving of eyes.
Ruins your eyes’ vision and color perception – if you already developed optic neuritis, your vision will start to become blurry or unstable. If not treated, in some cases, permanent loss of your vision might happen. Your color perception also changes.
Sudden flashes of lights – In some cases, a person with optic neuritis experienced flashes or sees blinking lights every time they move their eyes.

Causes

Autoimmune complications are connected with optic neuritis, and these include Multiple Sclerosis, Neuromyelitis Optica, and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein.

Multiple Sclerosis. It is a disorder ofyour autoimmune system that attacks myelin that covers the nerve fibers of your brain.
Neuromyelitis Optica. It is a type of disorder that may damage your optic nerves as well as your spinal cord. It is similar to multiple sclerosis but doesn’t affect the nerves in the brain.
Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein.It is an antibody disease that causes swelling of your optic nerve, spinal cord, or the

Other causes of Optic Neuritis

Bacterial infections like the cat-scratch fever or from viruses such as measles
Sarcoidosis is a type of disorder in which granulomas (or inflammatory cells) grow and can be seen in any part of your body. It can also cause damage to your eye, skin, heart, and other organs in your body.
Behcet’s disorder is a rare type of disease which causes an inflammation of your blood vessels. Its signs includemouth and genital sores, swelling in your eyes, and rashes on your skin.
Lupus happens when your immune system is attacking your tissues and organs. Inflammation will occur, and it can cause damage to your joints, skin, blood cells, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain.
Drug and toxins like Ethambutol (which is commonly used in treating tuberculosis), methanol (a component in antifreeze), paint or solvents

Diagnosis & Medications

TREATMENT

A steroid medication, in some cases, may be used to reduce the swelling or inflammation of the optic nerve. Weight increase, changing of your moods, upset stomach, and insomnia are some of its side effects.

Complications

Impairment of vision
Damage to your optic nerves
Weakens your immune system

OPTIC NEURITIS

Overview and Facts

Types and Symptoms

Diagnosis & Medications

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