Definition

Optic neuritis is a vision disorder characterized by
inflammation of the optic nerve.

Description

Optic neuritis occurs when the optic nerve, the pathway
that transmits visual information to the brain,
becomes inflamed and the myelin sheath that surrounds
the nerve is destroyed (a process known as demyelination).
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 experience occurrence
in both eyes. Optic neuritis tends to afflict young
adults with an average age in their 30s. Seventy-five percent
of patients with optic neuritis are women.

Nerve damage that occurs in the section of the optic
nerve located behind the eyeball, is called retrobulbar
neuritis, and is most often associated with multiple sclerosis.
Optic nerve inflammation and edema (swelling)
caused by intracranial pressure at the place where the
nerve enters the eyeball is termed papillitis.

Causes and symptoms

Symptoms of optic neuritis include one or more of
the following: