Optic Neuritis or Inflammatory Optic Neuropathy: a review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31288/oftalmolzh202264449Keywords:
optic neuritis, inflammatory optic neuropathy, OCT, MRI, demyelinating diseasesAbstract
According to the literature, there are two equivalent terms "optic neuritis" and "inflammatory optic neuropathy". Classification, pathogenesis and clinical manifestations are ambiguous. However, the growing interest in the problems of demyelinating and infectious diseases contributes to detailing the data on the mechanisms of certain forms of optic nerve inflammation.
Purpose. To study the current views on the pathogenesis of optic nerve inflammation.
Methods. The literature search in Ukrainian and foreign scientific sources was performed.
Modern diagnostic methods such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), immunological and virological tests allow studying i) the role of factors, individual and in combinations, in the development of neuritis, ii) the changes in visual functions, iii) damage to individual structural elements of the visual system, and iv) recovery from the damage received.
Conclusion. The analysis of literature data on optic neuritis and/or inflammatory optic neuropathy showed a high topical interest of the scientific community. Further studies are likely to improve the current classifications of optic nerve inflammation and develop a differentiated approach to the treatment of optic nerve inflammation.
References
1.Günay Ç, Yardım E, Yaşar E, Hız-Kurul AS, Uzan GS, Öztürk T et al. Optic neuritis in CD59 deficiency: an extremely rare presentation. Turk J Pediatr. 2022; 64(4): 787-94. https://doi.org/10.24953/turkjped.2021.1405
2.Eslami M, Lichtman-Mikol S, Razmjou, S, Bernitsas E. Optical Coherence Tomography in Chronic Relapsing Inflammatory Optic Neuropathy, Neuromyelitis Optica and Multiple Sclerosis: A Comparative Study. Brain Sci. 2022; 12: 1140. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12091140
3.Protocol of medical care for patients with optic neuritis (papillitis, retrobulbar neuritis). Annex to the Order of the Ministry of Health №117 dated 15-03-2007.
4.Critical review: Typical and atypical optic neuritis. Anne Abel, Collin McClelland, Michael S. Lee. J. Survophthal. 2019. 64 (6). P. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.survophthal.2019.06.001
5.Liang, J., et al. Comparing evolvement of visual field defect in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder-optic neuritis and idiopathic optic neuritis: a prospective study. BMC Ophthalmol 22, 338 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-022-02510-y
6.Kitchens N., Nichols L., Hope T. Educational Case: Neuromyelitis optica. Acad Pathol. 2022 Aug 16;9(1):100041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acpath.2022.100041
7.Kahloun R, Abroug N, Ksiaa I, Mahmoud A, Zeghidi H. et al. Infectious optic neuropathies: a clinical update. Eye Brain. 2015 Sep 28; 7: 59-81. https://doi.org/10.2147/EB.S69173
8.Trebst C., Jarius S., Berthele A, et al. Update on the diagnosisand treatment of neuromyelitis optica: Recommendations of the Neuromyelitis Optica Study Group (NEMOS). J Neurol. 2014; 261(1): 1e16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-013-7169-7
9.Vanda A. Lennon. at al. A serum autoantibody marker of neuromyelitis optica: distinction from multiple sclerosis. The Lancet. 2004; 364 (9451): 2106-2112. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17551-X
10.Roed H, Frederiksen J, Langkilde A, Sørensen TL, Lauritzen M, Sellebjerg F. Systemic T-cell activation in acute clinically isolated optic neuritis. J. Neuroimmunol. 2005; 162(1-2): 165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneuroim.2005.02.002
11.Söderström M, Link H, Xu Z, Fredriksson S. Optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis: anti-MBP and anti-MBP peptide antibody-secreting cells are accumulated in CSF. Neurology. 1993; 43(6): 1215. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.43.6.1215
12.Crotty S. Follicular helper CD4 T cells (TFH). Annu Rev. Immunol. 2011; 29: 621-663. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-immunol-031210-101400
13.Shetty A. et al. Immunodominant T-cell epitopes of MOG reside in its transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains in EAE. Neurol. Neuroimmunol. Neuroinflamm. 2014; 1: e22. https://doi.org/10.1212/NXI.0000000000000022
14.Francis PJ, Jackson H, Stanford MR, Graham EM. Inflammatory optic neuropathy as the presenting feature of herpes simplex acute retinal necrosis. Br J Ophthalmol. 2003 Apr; 87(4): 512-4. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.87.4.512-a
15.Melancia D, Fernandes A, Manita M, Cordeiro IM. Cytomegalovirus optic neuropathy in a young immunocompetent patient. J. Neurovirol. 2021 Apr; 27(2): 364-366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13365-021-00963-3
16.Sarkar P, Mehtani A, Gandhi HC, Dubey V, Tembhurde PM, Gupta MK. Atypical optic neuritis: An overview. Indian J. Ophthalmol. 2021; 69(1): 27-35. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijo.IJO_451_20
17.Rolak LA, Beck RW, Paty DW, Tourtellotte WW, Whitaker JN, Rudick RA. Cerebrospinal fluid in acute optic neuritis: experience of the optic neuritis treatment trial. Neurology. 1996 Feb; 46(2): 368-72. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.46.2.368
18.Skov AG, Skov T, Frederiksen JL. Oligoclonal bands predict multiple sclerosis after optic neuritis: a literature survey. Mult Scler. 2011 Apr; 17(4): 404-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458510391340
19.Olesen MN, Soelberg K, Debrabant B, Nilsson AC, Lillevang ST, Grauslund J et al. Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for predicting development of multiple sclerosis in acute optic neuritis: a population-based prospective cohort study. J Neuroinflammation. 2019 Mar 11; 16(1): 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-019-1440-5
20.Rodríguez-Rodríguez MS, Romero-Castro RM, Alvarado-de la Barrera C, González-Cannata MG, García-Morales AK, Ávila-Ríos S. Optic neuritis following SARS-CoV-2 infection. J. Neurovirol. 2021; 27(2): 359-363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13365-021-00959-z
21.Kahloun R, Abroug N, Ksiaa I, Mahmoud A, Zeghidi H, Zaouali S. et al. Infectious optic neuropathies: a clinical update. Eye Brain. 2015; 7: 59-81. https://doi.org/10.2147/EB.S69173
22.Varrin-Doyer M. et al. MOG transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains contain highly stimulatory T-cell epitopes in MS. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2014; 1: e20. https://doi.org/10.1212/NXI.0000000000000020
23.Zamvil SS, Slavin AJ. Does MOG Ig-positive AQP4-seronegative opticospinal inflammatory disease justify a diagnosis of NMO spectrum disorder? Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. Feb 2015; 2(1): e62. https://doi.org/10.1212/NXI.0000000000000062
24.D'Haeseleer M, Cambron M, Vanopdenbosch L, De Keyser J. Vascular aspects of multiple sclerosis. The Lancet Neurology. 2011; 10(7): 657-666. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(11)70105-3
25.Saindane AM, Law M, Ge Y, Johnson G, Babb JS, Grossman RI. Correlation of diffusion tensor and dynamic perfusion MR imaging metrics in normal-appearing corpus callosum: support for primary hypoperfusion in multiple sclerosis. AJNR Am Journal of Neuroradiology. 2007; 28(4): 767-772.
26.Cambron M, D'Haeseleer M, Laureys G, Clinckers R, Debruyne J, De Keyser J. White-matter astrocytes, axonal energy metabolism, and axonal degeneration in multiple sclerosis. Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism. 2012; 32(3): 413-424. https://doi.org/10.1038/jcbfm.2011.193
27.Pache M. et al. Extraocular blood flow and endothelin-1 plasma levels in patients with multiple sclerosis. European neurology. 2003; 49(3): 164-168. https://doi.org/10.1159/000069085
28.Chen T-C. et al. Vascular hypoperfusion in acute optic neuritis is a potentially new neurovascular model for demyelinating diseases. PLoS ONE. 2017; 12(9): e0184927. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184927
29.Nguyen AQ, Cherry BH, Scott GF, Ryou MG, Mallet RT. Erythropoietin: powerful protection of ischemic and post-ischemic brain. Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, NJ). 2014; 239(11):1461-1475. https://doi.org/10.1177/1535370214523703
30.Eslami M, Lichtman-Mikol S, Razmjou S, Bernitsas E. Optical Coherence Tomography in Chronic Relapsing Inflammatory Optic Neuropathy, Neuromyelitis Optica and Multiple Sclerosis: A Comparative Study. Brain Sci. 2022; 12: 1140. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12091140
31.Chen JJ, Sotirchos ES, Henderson AD, Vasileiou ES, Flanagan EP, Bhatti MT. et al. OCT retinal nerve fiber layer thickness differentiates acute optic neuritis from MOG antibody-associated disease and Multiple Sclerosis: RNFL thickening in acute optic neuritis from MOGAD vs. MS. Mult. Scler. Relat. Disord. 2022; 58: 103525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2022.103525
32.Kaushik M, Wang CY, Barnett MH, Garrick R, Parratt J, Graham SL. et al. Inner nuclear layer thickening is inversely proportional to retinal ganglion cell loss in optic neuritis. PLoS ONE. 2013; 8: e78341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078341
33.Al-Louzi OA et al. Outer retinal changes following acute optic neuritis. Mult. Scler. 2016; 22: 362-372. https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458515590646
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Н. М. Мойсеєнко

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) that allows users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author as long as they cite the source.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors hold copyright immediately after publication of their works and retain publishing rights without any restrictions.
- The copyright commencement date complies the publication date of the issue, where the article is included in.
DEPOSIT POLICY
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) during the editorial process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Post-print (post-refereeing manuscript version) and publisher's PDF-version self-archiving is allowed.
- Archiving the pre-print (pre-refereeing manuscript version) not allowed.