General
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease which is an inflammation of the insulating layer (myelin sheath) of nerves in the central nervous system. The inflammation of this insulating layer can cause a number of symptoms. A common early symptom of the disease is inflammation of the optic nerve. Inflammation of the optic nerve is usually accompanied by visual disturbances, which should be examined by a physician. Thus, visual disturbances can indicate the onset of a so-called relapse in multiple sclerosis, which can be treated after diagnosis.
Cause
Multiple sclerosis is defined by an inflammation of the insulating layer of the nerves in the central nervous system. Since the optic nerve also belongs to the central nervous system, this nerve is also frequently affected. Since the nerve is extremely relevant for vision, an inflammation of the myelin sheaths of this nerve is perceived particularly quickly.
Optic nerve inflammation in relapse
Multiple sclerosis can occur in different forms. The most frequent, especially at the beginning of the disease, is the relapsing-remitting course. In a large number of patients, optic nerve inflammation is an early sign of the onset of a relapse of multiple sclerosis.
For this reason, acute optic neuritis should be considered and treated as the beginning of a relapse in patients with known multiple sclerosis. An inflammation of the optic nerve, which occurs in the context of multiple sclerosis, is usually accompanied by typical symptoms. If multiple sclerosis has not yet been diagnosed, visual disorders associated with the typical symptoms should be examined.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of optic neuritis can be made in different ways. In the case of inflammation of the anterior nerve, the ophthalmologist can use an eye mirror to detect the inflammation. In the case of inflammation that cannot be seen with an ophthalmoscope, an MRI examination can usually show the focus of the inflammation and the affected medullary sheaths of the nerves well.
An acute inflammation of the optic nerve is always considered the beginning of a relapse in multiple sclerosis. For this reason, inflammation of the optic nerve is treated like a relapse in people with known multiple sclerosis. In the foreground of multiple sclerosis relapse therapy are high-dose cortisone infusions, which in most cases can improve the inflammation of the optic nerve.
However, it should be noted that the progression of multiple sclerosis cannot be prevented by cortisone therapy. New studies have shown that erythropoietin (EPO) therapy may be able to prevent or slow the death of the optic nerve in the course of optic neuritis. Further studies will be conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of this non-standard therapy.
In the case of optic nerve inflammation or the perception of typical symptoms that are characteristic of optic nerve inflammation, a physician should generally be consulted. If multiple sclerosis is known to be present, the inflammation is considered the beginning of a relapse and is therefore treated with cortisone. However, since the symptoms of an inflammation of the optic nerve can also indicate other diseases of the eye, an ophthalmological clarification of the symptoms is recommended in any case.