J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2011 Sep;52(9):1083-1088.

Clinical Features and the Effect of High-Dose Steroid Therapy in Korean Optic Neuritis Patients

• Cha DM
• Kim SJ
• Kim JH
• Choung HK
• Yu YS

Abstract

PURPOSE
To investigate the clinical manifestation and response to high-dose steroid therapy in Korean optic neuritis patients.
METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 13 patients diagnosed with optic neuritis who were treated with high-dose steroid and who were followed-up for more than three months in Seoul National University Hospital between January 2005 and December 2008.
RESULTS
Pain on extraocular movement (EOM) and disc swelling were observed in 61% (8/13) patients diagnosed with optic neuritis. Visual acuity (VA) improved to more than 20/40 in 77% (10/13) of patients after high-dose steroid therapy. The patients who resolved within one month recovered VA a mean of 18 days after onset. The recovery period had nothing to do with the initial time of high-dose steroid therapy.
CONCLUSIONS
Pain on EOM was less frequently observed and disc swelling was more frequent in Korean patients than have been reported in Caucacian patients. The recovery period of optic neuritis was not influenced by the initial time of high-dose steroid therapy.

Keyword

Methylprednisolone; Optic neuritis; Pulse steroid therapy

MeSH Terms

Humans
Medical Records
Methylprednisolone
Optic Neuritis
Retrospective Studies
Visual Acuity
Methylprednisolone

Figure

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  Figure 1. Improvement in visual acuity in early pulse steroid treatment group. ▲ Time to start steroid pulse therapy.

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  Figure 2. Improvement in visual acuity in late pulse steroid treatment group. ▲ Time to start steroid pulse therapy.* Patient 9 received pulse steroid treatment, although her visual acuity of the right eye was 0.6, because the visual acuity of her left eye was not improved for 23 days without any treatment.

Reference

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