Throughout life, a person inevitably encounters pathologies. which are inflammatory. One such disease is optic neuritis. What is it, the causes and methods of treatment will be considered further.
Definition
Optical neuritis is an inflammatory disease that is characterized by a sharp decrease in vision due to destruction of the optic nerve sheath. In most cases, the consequences of the inflammatory process are reversible, since not the entire nerve is affected, but its separate section. To a greater extent, young people are at risk, since pathology is much less common in the elderly and children.
Disease forms
Depending on the causes of the appearance of pathology, the following forms of neuritis are distinguished:
- infectious - the development of the disease occurs as a result of an infectious lesion of the body;
- parainfectious form is the result of improper vaccination or past viral diseases;
- demyelinating is characterized by a sharpdamage to one optic disc;
- autoimmune develops against the background of a malfunction in the body, when the immune system begins to aggressively react to other cells in the body;
- the toxic form is manifested due to some kind of poisoning, a classic example is eye damage when using methyl alcohol;
- ischemic may develop as a result of a stroke.
Optic neuritis occurs as a result of a combination of some causes that provoke inflammatory processes. The further treatment of pathology depends on the definition of the form of the disease.
Varieties of neuritis
The disease can occur in case of damage to the intracranial part of the nerve, the area where it leaves the eyeball, and the entrance to the skull. Damage to the intracranial part of the optic nerve is called intracranial neuritis. Inflammations that occur outside the cranium can be divided into several varieties:
- Retrobulbar orbital - inflammation of the part of the optic nerve that is located in the orbit.
- Retrobulbar axial - defeat of the postorbital part of the optic nerve.
- Retrobulbar transverse - damage to the entire part of the optic nerve that is outside the cranium.
- Interstitial - an extensive nerve lesion that captures nearby soft tissues.
All varieties of optic neuritis can be both acute and chronic. Symptoms in such cases will also differ.
Pseudoneuritis
Sometimes, for a number of reasons, a person has a congenital pathology of the optic nerve papilla. In this case, false neuritis may develop. This condition is characterized by the following manifestations:
- nerve nipple enlarged;
- its edges are fuzzy;
- color changed to greyish red.
Fortunately, pseudoneuritis does not affect visual acuity, but requires attention from an ophthalmologist.
Causes of pathology
Most often, an experienced specialist can determine what was the impetus for the development of the disease, but there are also cases with unexplained etiology. There are several main causes of optic neuritis:
- Chickenpox, herpes, encephalitis, mononucleosis, mumps viruses.
- Pathogenic fungi that can live both on human skin and in the environment.
- Bacterial infections. This is especially true for those that provoke inflammatory diseases of areas located near the optic nerve. For example, sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, pulpitis, otitis media, meningitis.
- Specific inflammatory processes such as miliary tuberculosis, syphilis, cryptococcosis.
- Retrobulbar optic neuritis in multiple sclerosis may be one of the first manifestations of this disease.
- Idiopathic neuritis is a consequence of an unexplained pathogenic effect.
- Methyl alcohol poisoning causing eye damage.
- Mechanical injury to the arealocation of the optic nerve.
- Allergic reactions.
- Alcoholic or drug intoxication of the body.
In addition, the symptoms of retrobulbar optic neuritis can develop in the last stages of diabetes mellitus in the absence of the necessary therapy to improve and maintain the condition.
Manifestations of disease
Most often, the symptoms of optic neuritis appear rapidly, within a few hours. In rare cases, this process takes a day. One eye is affected, bilateral neuritis is extremely rare. The person experiences the following symptoms:
- feeling of a veil in front of the affected eye;
- a sharp and significant decrease in visual acuity;
- change in color perception;
- reaction to bright light;
- tearing of the affected eye;
- pain when moving the eyeball;
- decrease in the latitude of view, for example, the eye sees only in front of itself, peripheral vision deteriorates significantly;
- difficulty adapting to changes in light intensity.
The inflammatory process is indicated by an increase in body temperature, fever, as with colds, body aches and general poor he alth.
Diagnosis
According to the ICD, optic neuritis has the code H46. It has subspecies of the disease: retrobulbar neuritis and optic (papillitis). You can determine the type of disease and the degree of damage using the following diagnostic measures:
- Ophthalmic examination by a doctor and finding out the symptoms that the patient is experiencing.
- Ophthalmoscopy, which is carried out using a beam of light directed at the pupil. This is necessary for the examination of the fundus. An ophthalmoscope can also be used to check the natural reactions of the eye to bright light. With neuritis, the pupil contracts noticeably less than in a he althy eye.
- With the help of special devices, the reaction of the brain to light is recorded. The speed of the sent pulses is checked.
- Magnetic resonance imaging helps to determine the degree of nerve damage. In some cases, a contrast agent may be used, which is injected into the patient's optic nerve.
- Checking visual acuity using special tables with letters of different sizes.
- Gonioscopy, which is an examination of the eye using a gonioscope with curved lenses.
- Intraocular pressure measurement.
- Complete blood count.
The clinical picture of optic neuritis may look like this: the vessels of the eye are dilated, the optic nerve head is hyperemic, has no clear boundaries and is connected to the retina, on which white spots appear.
Therapy for disease
Treatment of retrobulbar optic neuritis is aimed at eliminating the cause of the inflammatory process, as well as restoring the functions of the eye. At the same time, during therapy, the patient is in the hospital for constant monitoring by doctors. Oftenit is not possible to find out the exact cause of the appearance of neuritis. In this case, broad-spectrum drugs are prescribed. Treatment of optic neuritis is as follows:
Antibacterial therapy based on drugs such as Amoxicillin, Amoxiclav, Ceftriaxone
- The anti-inflammatory drug "Dexamethasone", which is injected directly into the fiber of the eye.
- Means for suppressing intoxication of the body due to the ongoing inflammatory process - "Reopoliglyukin", "Hemodez", which are administered intravenously.
- Vitamins of group B, PP.
- Drugs to improve blood circulation, such as Trental, Actovegin.
- Medications to restore the conduction of nerve impulses - Neuromidin, Nivalin.
- In the presence of edema, the drug "Diacarb" is used.
To restore vision, if necessary, laser correction or magnetotherapy is prescribed. With atrophy of the optic nerve, treatment is prescribed with antispasmodics and drugs to improve blood circulation.
If optic neuritis with rapid loss of vision has developed in case of methyl alcohol poisoning, then the first thing to do is to wash the patient's stomach, and also introduce an antidote - ethyl alcohol. After that, drugs such as Nootropil and B vitamins are prescribed intramuscularly.
Folk treatmentmeans
In this pathology, it is recommended to give preference to conservative therapy. However, in some cases, the ophthalmologist may allow the use of folk remedies as additional methods of dealing with the disease.
- Infusion of nettle. A tablespoon of the dried plant is infused in a glass of boiling water. It is necessary to take the solution daily for 2 tbsp. before every meal.
- Green cone syrup. They must be poured with boiling water, add lemon and sugar, and then bring to a boil. The resulting syrup must be taken in 1 tbsp. before every meal. The cones help to improve the condition of the vessels of the brain, which also nourish the eyes.
In addition, it is recommended to use fresh cow's milk, as it contains useful vitamins and minerals, as well as saturated fatty acids. However, this is only suitable if the cow is in good condition and free of disease. In other cases, natural milk must be boiled before drinking.
Forecast
In most cases, if optic neuritis (according to ICD-10 code H46) was detected in a timely manner and the correct complex therapy was prescribed, then the prognosis is favorable. Vision is fully restored within 2-3 months after the end of therapy.
However, this significantly increases the risk of multiple sclerosis, especially in women over 40 years of age. To prevent the occurrence of the disease, it is recommended to visit regularlya neurologist, especially if there is the slightest suspicion of the development of complications.
In rare cases, if the treatment was not started in a timely manner, optic nerve atrophy can develop, which leads to loss of vision, or amaurosis, a chronic inflammation of the retina, which also leads to blindness.
Preventive measures
Any signs and symptoms of optic neuritis are unpleasant. Treatment is also costly and time consuming. In addition, there is the possibility of complications. In order to minimize the risks of pathology, you should follow these simple recommendations:
- Seek medical help in a timely manner for any diseases and inflammations of the eyes.
- Exclude the risk of injury to the face and eyes.
- When in contact with chemicals, it is recommended to use personal protective equipment, which includes an eye and respiratory mask, as well as rubber gloves.
- Refuse the use of questionable alcohol-containing liquids, as they can be made on the basis of industrial alcohol - methanol, which is unsuitable for consumption and causes serious consequences.
- Timely treat colds.
- Practice light sports to strengthen immunity.
- Stop smoking.
- Eat a he althy and balanced diet.
In addition, it is very important not to self-medicate withoutconsultation with an ophthalmologist, as there is a risk of permanent loss of vision.
Conclusion
It is important to seek medical help in a timely manner at the first symptoms of pathology, as there is a high risk of death of the nerve fibers that are responsible for vision. If medical measures are taken immediately, then a condition such as optic neuritis does not pose a particular danger to eye he alth.
