What Are the Treatments for Optic Neuritis with MS?

Sometimes, one of the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis is optic neuritis, a condition that results in blurred vision, eye pain or loss of color vision. It is caused by inflammation of the optic nerve. Many patients recover their vision, but sometimes treatment is required.

Intravenous Steroids

• Steroid treatment helps to bring down swelling in the optic nerve in a patient suffering from optic neuritis. Receiving intravenous steroid treatment for a few days may help a patient to recover vision more quickly, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Oral Steroids

• In many cases, intravenous steroid treatment is followed with oral steroid treatment for optic neuritis. According to the Mayo Clinic, taking oral steroids without IV treatment first may increase the risk of recurrence.

Plasma Exchange Therapy

• In cases where extreme vision loss has occurred as a result of optic neuritis, plasma exchange therapy may be prescribed, according to the Mayo Clinic. The treatment involves removing the plasma, the liquid portion of a patient's blood, replacing it, and transfusing it back into the patient's body.

No Treatment

• According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, if the symptoms of optic neuritis are mild and an MRI detects no lesions on the brain, a medical professional may allow the problem to resolve itself.

Long-Term Treatment

• The National Multiple Sclerosis Society states that eyeglasses do not help long-term vision problems caused by optic neuritis. Vision is altered because of inflammation of the optic nerve, not changes to the shape of the eye.