Journal List > J Korean Ophthalmol Soc > v.59(1) > 1010914

Kang, Lee, and Lee: Optic Neuritis of Korean Adult

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the study was to describe the clinical features and characteristics of optic neuritis patients compared with those of patients enrolled in the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial (ONTT).

Methods

We retrospectively included consecutive patients diagnosed with optic neuritis between 2006 and 2015. The inclusion criteria were the same as those of the ONTT; an acute or subacute unilateral visual symptom ≤8 days in duration, a relative afferent pupillary defect, and a visual field defect in the affected eye.

Results

The 41 patients (14 females, 27 males) were of mean age 32.7 years. The incidence of papilledema was 58.5%, thus higher than that of ONTT patients (p = 0.004), and the incidence of ocular pain was 75.6%, lower than that of ONTT patients (p = 0.002). Six months after intravenous methylprednisolone therapy, 29 of 32 eyes (90.6%) recovered visual acuity of ≥1.0 or better, and only one eye exhibited poor visual acuity (≤0.5). Orbital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on 34 patients, and most (91.2%) exhibited optic nerve enhancement. The three patients who did not exhibit enhancement reported no pain.

Conclusions

The clinical features of Korean optic neuritis patients differed from those of patients of the ONTT. Most patients exhibited optic nerve MRI enhancement associated with ocular pain. If enhancement of the optic nerve is lacking, diseases other than optic neuritis should be suspected because most optic nerves with neuritis exhibit enhancement on MRI.

Figures and Tables

Figure 1

Cumulative probability of patients with visual acuity of 20/20 in patients treated with intravenous high-dose methylprednisolone. Of our patients, 72% recovered to 20/20 or better at one month, 81% at two months, and 91% at six months.

jkos-59-81-g001
Table 1

Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients at the entry into study

jkos-59-81-i001

Values are presented as mean ± SD unless otherwise indicated.

ONTT = Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial; HFA = Humphrey field analyzer.

*Student t-test; Chi-square test.

Table 2

Final visual acuity in the affected eyes in patients treated with intravenous high-dose methylprednisolone (p = 0.185*)

jkos-59-81-i002

ONTT = Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial.

*Fisher's exact test.

Table 3

Correlation between optic nerve enhancement on MRI and ocular pain (p = 0.009*)

jkos-59-81-i003

Values are presented as n (%) unless otherwise indicated.

MRI = magnetic resonance imaging.

*Fisher's exact test.

Notes

Conflicts of Interest The authors have no conflicts to disclose.

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