Optic Neuritis
Introduction
Optic neuritis (ON) is a disease related to the eye that causes visual impairment. ON arises due to the inflammation and demyelination of the optic nerve, affecting interpretation of visual signals causing blurred, grey or dim vision. More often than not, ON is monocular in scope however there are cases where both eyes are affected. ON has been known to be highly associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) however an individual does not have to have MS to be diagnosed with ON. 81
Epidemiology and Pathology
Optic Neuritis has been found to persist more commonly in young healthy adults, with females having a higher incidence rate than males. ON is the most common optic neuropathy in individuals under the age of 50 years
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The optic nerve is the second cranial nerve (CN II) in the eye which is tasked to transfer visual information in the form of electrical impulses from the retina to the brain for interpretation. Typically, a human optic nerve is around 0.3-0.4mm in diameter and is protected by a nerve sheath, is surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity are two highly important functions that the optic nerve specialises in, and as a result, are the common issues affected by ON. Damage to the optic nerve inhibits proper functioning at the optic chiasm which, depending on the damage, causes specific problems depending on the extent of damage. Patients with MS are often revealed to develop ON as their first symptom. MS is a common central nervous system (CNS) disease that develops through issues relating to inflammatory demyelinating white matter lesions. There have been suggestions that the onset of ON is immune-mediated; activated T cells release cytokines as well as other inflammatory mediators when migrating across the blood-brain barrier and essentially degrade the axons around the optic nerve causing cell death, and thus leading to impaired visual functioning. …show more content…
Acute ON usually involves a singular eye being affected whereby 90% of ON cases take place; the other 10% of cases occurring in both eyes is found to occur more frequently in children under the age of 15. The Optic Neuritis Treatment Trials (ONTT) identified vision loss and eye pain as the most common symptoms found in patients with acute unilateral ON. Vision loss was found to occur steadily over a period of a few hours to a few days, with a peak in between 1-2 weeks, whilst eye pain occurred in 92% of those affected and would worsen through eye movement. These visual defects however would usually resolve itself with care, with the ONTT presenting 56% of participants being clear after one year and 73% cleared after 10 (Cleary et al., 1997). In other cases, a patient may become affected with papillitis (intraocular ON) causing hyperemia leading to the swelling of the optic disc; a point of exit for optic ganglion cells. This area is important for the major blood vessels to supply the retina and thus aid in interpreting visual signals to be passed through the optic nerve into the brain.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease, in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. The disease destroys the myelin, which is the insulation that protects the nerve fibers in the spinal cord, and brain (Niino, 2008). When the myelin is damaged, the message that is traveling along that nerve may be slowed or blocked. Symptoms vary by patient, but often include: numbness or weakness in limbs, partial or complete loss of vision, lack of coordination or unsteady gait, slurred speech, fatigue, dizziness, and problems with bowel and bladder functions.
Based on an article by Healthline Editorial Team, George Krucik, MD, MBA Early Signs of Multiple Sclerosis, January 25, 2013, “Inflammation affects the optic nerve and disrupts a person’s central vision. This can lead to blurred vision in one or both eyes, double vision, or loss of contrast or vivid colors.”
Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves. Multiple Sclerosis causes many effects on the body including vision loss, pain, fatigue and impaired coordination. The symptoms, severity and duration can vary constantly.
People with M.S. may have many symptoms. Impaired vision is one in which the optic nerve becomes
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a condition where myelin forms scar tissue and disfigures nerve impulses. This is an example of a deviation from normal physiology found in the nervous system. MS is the result of the immune system atypically attacking myelin and nerve fibers within the central nervous system (CNS). When the myelin and nerve fiber are damaged, it can cause the signal to be disturbed or disfigured. The damaged scar tissue (sclerosis) gives the disease its name. The symptoms of MS can range anywhere from pain and fatigue to tremors and
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack myelin sheath causing neurological damage to areas of the brain and causes neurological deterioration. In the brain the myelin sheath is involved with what allows for communication between brain and the body. As the disease progresses the sheath deteriorates the neurons where the myelin sheath is found is damaged, causing a break or loss of information when the brain is trying to communicate with the brain. As the central nervous system (CNS) is deteriorating it causes permanent damage that is incurable. The symptoms are not as
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that majorly affects the brainand the spinal cord (A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, 1). The disease affects the central nervous system and thus causes limitations of individuals to carry out various activities. In multiple sclerosis, the myelin sheath that covers nerve cell axon is destroyed causing inflammation (MediResource Inc., 1). Destructionof the membrane leads to slowed conveyance of signals from the spinal cord to the brain, which as a result leads to reduced response to different stimuli. Inflammation of the nerve occurs mostly when the immune cells from the body attack the nervous system. The inflammation is not only limited to the spinal cord, but sometimes extends to
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease that impacts the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, which is together known as the Central Nervous System (CNS). It is perhaps one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting about 1 per 1,000 of the population (Beaumont, 2008). Multiple Sclerosis means “Multiple Scars” due to the many scars (lesions) that are located in the CNS. This disease involves two main systems in the body, the Central Nervous System and the Immune System. The Central Nervous System is one of the most important systems in the body. About everything you do focuses on this system functioning properly. When there is interruption with this system, many things you do on a day-to-day basis will be interrupted. This
Worldwide, more than 2.3 million people are currently affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This condition “is a life-long, potentially debilitating disease of the central nervous system (CNS)” (Pasquier, 2014, 537). Specifically, it is a chronic auto-immune disease that attacks the central nervous system. Furthermore, the person’s own immune system does not recognize the neurons and attacks the myelin, and the nerve fibers it covers and protects. The myelin then creates scar tissue which causes damage and keeps the nerve impulses in the neuron from being able to travel to the brain or the spinal cord. If this occurs, bodily functions become difficult or impossible because messages aren’t being delivered to or from the organs back to the CNS.
Multiple sclerosis is a rare disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves. Multiple sclerosis causes many different symptoms, including vision loss, pain, fatigue, and impaired coordination. The symptoms, severity, and duration can vary from person to person. Some people may be symptom free most of their lives, while others can have severe chronic symptoms that never go away. This disease can occur for years or be lifelong and can't be cured, but treatment may
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic nervous system disease that affects the brain, the spinal cord and optic nerves. Multiple sclerosis happens when the immune system damages or destroys a fatty element, myelin, that wraps and protects nerve fibers. The nerves become damaged and this means that the brain can not send signals through the body correctly. This can lead to many symptoms like: fatigue, vision problems, mobility problems and pain. This symptoms are very generalized and multiple sclerosis is very difficult to detect because is a slowly progressive disease, and symptoms do not appear all at once. Usually people who are diagnosed with MS are women of 20-40 years. The treatment can alleviate or control symptoms. Also it can slow disease
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic, autoimmune, and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Its etiology is unknown, but a combination of environmental and genetic factors is likely responsible for its development. MS occurs when one’s immune system attacks the fatty protein myelin, which insulates and protects the axons of oligodendrocytes in the brain and spinal cord. Damage to this sheath can cause the miscommunication between these oligodendrocytes and the rest of the body, and additionally causes painful and debilitating symptoms. The severity of these symptoms varies from one person to another and is dependent on the extent of the nerve damage and the types of nerves that have been affected. This disease effects one’s motor and cognitive abilities, and can oftentimes lead to severe impairment of one’s movement and speech. There is no known cure for this inflammatory disease, but medication and therapy can help alleviate the effects as the disease progresses.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that damages the myelin sheaths and nervous cells in the central nervous system. An autoimmune disease is when the body produces antibodies to attack its own tissues. Basically, myelin is a mixture of proteins and phospholipids forming a whitish insulating sheath around many nerve fibers, increasing the speed that impulses are sent. It is made by schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system. Multiple sclerosis attacks the oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheaths causing some very serious problems for people diagnosed with it. The disease affects motor, sensory, and autonomic nerves and has been seen to affect cognitive functions. Females are affected
Multiple sclerosis one a nervous system disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in the eyes. It causes problems with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions. The effects are often varying from person to person (“Multiple Sclerosis”, n.d). MS happens when the immune system attacks a fatty material named myelin, that protects the nerves. Without the protection of this outer shell, the nerves become damage. Scientists and doctors studied for centuries what multiple sclerosis is and they were unable to define it for long period time “MS has been conceived from the 14th century through the early 20th century (Butler, 2003). During those periods, the physicians and scientists faced hardship to distinguish between MS and other cognitive diseases. During the 21 century, because of technological advancement and researches, MS studied well and consequently treatment options reflected in a new belief system (Butler, 2003).
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive disease of the peripheral nerves. Its onset is in young adulthood and early middle age affecting more than 400,000 Americans. The incidence is greatest between 20 and 40 years of age, and it affects men and women approximately equally. MS is considered and autoimmune disorder, and is characterized as a demyelinating disease because it causes permanent degeneration and destruction of myelin sheath of the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. Areas commonly involved are the optic nerves, cerebrum, and cervical spinal cord. Many clients experience gradual and continuous worsening of their symptoms, whereas Some people live a long time with MS, having the disease in mild forms and not experiencing increased severity of symptoms, a survival of 20 years is not unusual.