J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.
2004 Feb;45(2):273-280.
Clinical Characteristics of Optic Neuritis according to the Presence of Abnormal MRI Lesions
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Ophthalmology, Dongkang Hospital, Ulsan, Korea. bumgae@orgio.net
Abstract
- PURPOSE
To investigate the clinical characteristics of the Korean patients with optic neuritis, a disease which is less commonly caused by a demyelinating disease, and compare the differences according to the presence of the abnormal MRI lesions. METHODS: We reviewed the age, sex, bilateralities, recurrence rates, fundus finidings, and visual outcomes after treatment on 42 eyes of the 34 patients with optic neuritis, and then we compared the difference of these characteristics according to the presence of the abnormal MRI lesions. RESULTS: The average age of the patients in the study is 37.1, and there were slightly more women patients than men patients. Optic disc swelling was more than the retrobulbar type. The average of the initial visual acuity was 0.29 (0.35), and that of final test was 0.71 (0.31). In the six patients with abnormal MRI lesions, the incidence rate among the woman was higher, and retrobulbar optic neuritis was prevalent. They also had a higher recurrence rate, and a poorer initial and final visual acuity. CONCLUSIONS: For the disease of optic neuritis that is found among Koreans, which is less commonly caused by the demyelinating disease, the incidence of disease according to sex of the patient was similar, and optic disc swelling is prevalent. But in the cases with abnormal MRI lesions, similar to those found in westerners, there are more found in women, have more of the retrobulbar type, and their visual prognosis was poorer.
