Multiple Sclerosis Community

Tammy,

Yes, optic neuritis can occur in both eyes, can come and go, and can develop at any time during the disease course. Call your doctor right away and report the changes.

Kim

Hi Tammy, While optic neuritis may be one of the common symptoms of MS, it.is still a big deal that needs to be treated appropriately. It ca affect both eyes, it can recur often and it often HURTS. Make sure you talk to your neurologist about this if you have not done so yet. My first symptom of MS was ON in my right eye. Now, after numerous 'repeat performances', I am legally blind in that eye. the left eye has become a target in recent years and, after numerous attacks, I have marginal vision in that eye. The good side? My MS pretty much leaves the rest of me alone. Seems to just like my optic nerves. I am not trying to make you nervous-I have had MS For nearly 2 1/2 decades- just don't be complaisant about your condition.

Thanks, I'm hoping to get my solumedrol tomorrow. I'm going to be starting a monthly steroid pulse:0 & I'm switching from Copaxone to Avonex. What are you guys Taking?
Hugs,
Tammy

Hi Tammy
have you had pain in your eyes.I had ON and no pain what so ever and didnt take any form of drug .It cleared up in 8 weeks.I got it again about 4mths later in the other eye and it lasted four 4 weeks again no pain.Did you have problems with the copaxone?As i was on copaxone now on Avonex for over a year now and not enjoying the injection or the symptoms that go with .Hope you are finding it ok
Kind regards
Denise

I'm not going to treat it next time. I did a 1day pulse, 1gram sloumedral, & it was way worse then ON. I have no problems with Copaxone but the MS is progressing:(. I will try Avonex but I'm not going to work all week & be sick all weekend, I'll take my chances. Hopefully I'll adjust, if not-OH WELL.

Hope you are doing better. I was on Copaxone for a dozen years. Just switched to Tysabri. Best.

I am going through insurance issues for Ampyra and Betaseron.
I am sorry about the Optic Neuritis I have had it in both eyes separately a few years back. It only occurs for me when I have eaten one of my severely allergic events of Nuts, Shellfish and Bee stings. When I avoid these items, I have no issue. The only meds that worked to restore for me was Solu-medrol IV and prednisone taper. It took over 5 days for my vision to return. Back in 2003 Solu-medrol was handled by a new pharmacy and ingredients were changed. The nurse came to do my IV said she had over 4 MS patients have an allergic reaction if I do get to hospital. Twenty minutes after she had gone my lips, nose and eyes swelled. I had to go to hospital they gave me a strong antihistamine and I woke up 2hrs later fine. Now, I cannot use that med again and go with prednisone where full vision did not return. I have a new neurologist now and we use other meds. This is the scary side of MS for most of us next to having parts go numb. Please stay strong, listen to doctors, and take the support of those who care. Good Luck Cactibabe

My bouts of optic neuritis were all in the right eye up until this last week-first time I've had it in both eyes. This sucks-the pain itself is not that intense, but they both feel like they're too large for the eye socket and I have discomfort when moving the eyes back and forth.

Thank you all for responding to mmthlvr-you've helped many of us also!

Much love!

There are a lot of issues in this thread to discuss. Optic neuritis can occur in both eyes, but it is unusual to occur in both eyes at the same time. When unusual things happen, it doesn't make the diagnosis wrong, but you need to wonder. It would be extremely unusual for symptoms of ON to come and go so rapidly on the order of hours.

ON typically should be treated with IV Solumedrol. This treatment does NOT alter the long term outcome, it only speeds the recovery. In other words, if your vision is going to recover to 95% of its original baseline, it will get to that same place with or without Solumedrol, but it might get there in 2 weeks with Solumedrol and 6 weeks without Solumedrol. Oral prednisone is NOT recommended for acute attacks of optic neuritis. The same study that found IV Solumedrol helps speed recovery found that oral prednisone makes ON worse. We do not understand why this would be the case, but, based on this study, we avoid oral prednisone in ON. Monthly steroid pulses are NOT recommended because they do not alter the long term outcome of multiple sclerosis.

There are some fairly decent studies showing that sometimes people can fail Copaxone and do well on interferon, or vice versa. So, Avonex may help. But, Copaxone, Rebif and Betaseron are all stronger than Avonex, so a switch to Rebif or Betaseron might make more sense.

If your MS effects only your optic nerves (and maybe your spinal cord) but leaves your brain alone, you should be tested for another condition called NMO.