This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Optic neuritis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Optic neuritis is a broad term expressing inflammation, degeneration, or demyelination of the optic nerve. It includes:

  • papillitis or anterior optic neuritis - the intraocular portion of the nerve is affected, and the optic disc is swollen
  • retrobulbar neuritis - optic neuritis in which the disc is not swollen
  • neuroretinitis - optic disc and adjacent temporal retina are affected

The disc changes in papilloedema may closely resemble those of papillitis but visual acuity is reduced markedly in papillitis but not in papilloedema.

If a person has an episode of isolated, optic neuritis, confirmed by an ophthalmologist, refer them to a consultant neurologist for further assessment (1).

Diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder should be made by an appropriate specialist based on established up-to-date criteria (1).

Reference:

  1. NICE (June 2022).Multiple sclerosis in adults: management

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.