Optic Nerve Inflammation NYC | Optic Neuritis Treatment

What Is Optic Neuritis?

Optic neuritis, commonly referred to as optic nerve inflammation, is a condition that occurs when the nerve that connects your eye to your brain becomes swollen or damaged. This can affect your vision in various ways, such as causing blurred vision, loss of color vision, pain, or even blindness in severe cases. Optic nerve inflammation can be caused by infections, autoimmune diseases or other factors.

At Eye Physicians in New York, expert optometrists and eye doctors accurately diagnosis and provide treatment for optic nerve damage using the latest technology and methods. They offer a range of treatments for vision problems, such as optic nerve damage treatment and have optic nerve hypoplasia specialists who can help you with this rare condition.

What Causes Optic Nerve Inflammation?

The specific cause of optic neuritis is not always known. It’s currently believed that it develops when the immune system attacks the myelin, which is the protective coating that covers the optic nerve, resulting in inflammation and damage to the nerve fibers.

When optic neuritis occurs without any apparent cause, it’s called idiopathic optic neuritis. This type of optic neuritis usually has a better prognosis and a lower risk of recurrence.

Some of the other possible factors that may trigger or worsen optic neuritis include:

• Autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica, lupus and sarcoidosis, conditions that cause inflammation and damage to the nerves in the brain and spinal cord
• Infections, such as Lyme disease, syphilis, tuberculosis, measles and mumps
• Drugs, such as quinine, ethambutol and some antibiotics
• Genetic factors, such as certain mutations like optic nerve hypoplasia that affect the optic nerve development

Optic neuritis can affect anyone, but it’s more common in certain groups of people. Optic neuritis usually occurs in young adults, between the ages of 20 and 40, and is more prevalent in women than in men.

What Are the Symptoms of Optic Neuritis?

The symptoms of optic neuritis vary and can last for days or weeks. Symptoms may improve over time with or without treatment. Some people, however, may have permanent vision loss or changes without proper optic nerve swelling treatment, which is why you should contact your NYC eye doctor at the first sign of symptoms of optic neuritis.

The most obvious symptom is eye pain that often gets worse when you move your eyes. The pain can be mild or severe, and it can affect one or both eyes.

Other symptoms include:

• Vision loss or changes in your vision. You may experience a sudden or gradual loss of vision in one or both eyes, which can be partial or complete. The vision loss may affect your central or peripheral vision, or both. You may also have difficulty seeing at night or in low light.
• Color vision loss. You may notice that colors appear less vivid or washed out, especially red. This is because optic neuritis affects the nerve fibers that are responsible for recognizing colors.
• Flashing lights. You may see flashing or flickering lights when you move your eyes. This is caused by the stimulation of the damaged nerve fibers.

What Are the Complications of Untreated Optic Nerve Inflammation?

Without optic nerve damage treatment, you can undergo serious consequences affecting your vision and your overall health in the long term. These complications can have a significant impact on your quality of life and your ability to function.

Therefore, it’s important to seek prompt medical attention for optic neuritis, and to follow up with your doctor regularly to monitor your condition and receive appropriate optic nerve inflammation treatment.

Avoid possible complications that could include:

• Permanent vision loss or changes. Some people may not fully recover their vision after optic neuritis and may have residual problems such as reduced visual acuity, color vision loss or visual field defects.
• Recurrent optic neuritis. Optic neuritis can recur in the same or the other eye, especially if it’s caused by an underlying condition such as multiple sclerosis or neuromyelitis optica that isn’t being treated properly. Recurrent episodes of optic neuritis worsen the damage to the optic nerve and increase the likelihood of vision loss.
• Development of neuromyelitis optica. Neuromyelitis optica is a rare autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation of the optic nerve and the spinal cord. It can lead to severe vision loss, paralysis and even death.

What’s the Best Optic Nerve Inflammation Treatment?

At Eye Physicians, you can access a range of treatments for optic nerve damage. The most common treatment for optic nerve damage is corticosteroids, which are medications that reduce inflammation and speed up the recovery of the optic nerve.

Corticosteroids can be given by mouth, by injection or by infusion into a vein.

Other optic nerve swelling treatments include:

• Optic nerve hypoplasia treatment. This is a treatment for a rare congenital condition that causes underdevelopment of the optic nerve. It may involve surgery, medication or vision therapy to improve the function and appearance of the eye.
• Plasma exchange therapy. This is a procedure that removes harmful antibodies from your blood and replaces them with a plasma solution. It can help people who don’t respond well to corticosteroids or who have severe optic neuritis.
• Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. This is a treatment that delivers antibodies from healthy donors into your bloodstream. It boosts your immune system and protects your optic nerve from further damage.
• Complementary treatments. Your Manhattan eye specialist may also prescribe a combination of treatments that enhance vision including contact lenses, laser coagulation surgery and LipiFlow.

Eye Physicians in New York have all the resources and optic nerve hypoplasia specialists needed to provide you and your children with the most effective treatment for optic nerve swelling. Contact Eye Physicians today to book an appointment with an ophthalmologist and take a step to restore pain-free vision. They pride themselves on getting you in and out of the office in under an hour.

Page Updated on Jul 9, 2024 by Dr. William Hogue, OD (Optometrist) of Eye Physicians

Eye Physicians
110 Lafayette St, Suite 503
New York, NY 10013
(212) 292-4814

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