Visual function 15 years after optic neuritis: a final follow-up report from the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess visual function 15 years after acute unilateral optic neuritis. DESIGN: Longitudinal follow-up of a randomized clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred ninety-four patients who were randomized in the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial between 1988 and 1991 and underwent examination in 2006. TESTING: A neuro-ophthalmic examination included measurements of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visual field. Quality of life was assessed with the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire and Neuro-ophthalmic Supplement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Abnormal vision and health-related quality-of-life scores. RESULTS: Seventy-two percent of the eyes affected with optic neuritis at study entry had visual acuity of > or = 20/20 and 66% of patients had > or = 20/20 acuity in both eyes. On average, visual function was slightly worse among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) than among with those without MS. As expected, quality-of-life scores were lower when acuity was reduced and when neurologic disability from MS was present. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term visual outcome is favorable for the majority of patients who experience optic neuritis even when MS is present.

Duke Scholars

Author Edward George Buckley Ophthalmology

Author Edward Wayne Massey Neurology, General & Community Neurology