b'subsequent exams, to track progress. The benecialindiagnosingopticneuritis,andfordoctorexaminestheeye,inordertoexclude trackingtheprogressofopticnervedamage.othercausesofeyepainandvisionloss,and WhenpeoplewithMSdevelopanyvisualtolookinthebackoftheeye,wheretheoptic symptoms,theyshouldgetpromptlyevaluated.nerveentersthebackoftheeyeball. Ifopticneuritisisoccurring,adecisionneedsInmostpeoplewithMS,duringanoptic tobemadetotreatwithsteroidsormonitor.neuritis relapse, the optic nerve looks Importantly,othereyeconditionsneedtobenormalinthebackoftheeye,becausethe excludedsothatappropriatetreatmentcaninammationintheopticnerveisusuallya be provided. Having MS does not protectfewcentimetersbehindtheeyeball(retrobulbar peoplefromothereyeconditions,suchasopticneuritis).Inaboutathirdofpeople glaucoma and retinal detachments. OnlywithopticneuritisduetoMS,theopticnerve medicalprofessionalscanmakesurethataisswolleninthebackoftheeye,becausethe correctdiagnosisandtreatmentplanisininflammationintheopticnerveisrightat place.thejunctionoftheopticnerveandeyeball(anterioropticneuritis). Perhapsmostimportantly,peoplelivingOnceapersonrecoversfromopticneuritis, withMSshouldbetreatedwithadisease-theappearanceoftheopticnerveusually modifyingmedication,tominimizethenumberbecomespale(opticpallororopticatrophy) ofrelapsesthatoccur.WithtreatmentofMS,becauseofdamagetotheopticnerve,whether relapserateisreduced,sotheriskofrepeatornotvisionrecoveryoccurs.Theswelling episodesofopticneuritis(andotherrelapseandatrophyoftheopticnervecanbemeasured types)islowered,thustheriskofpermanentintheeyedoctorsoceorMSclinicusinga visionlossisalsolowered.Althoughoptictechniquecalledopticalcoherencetomography. neuritiscancausepersistentvisualproblems,OCTisaquickandpainlesswaytomeasure MSonlyrarelycausesblindness.Thebestthethicknessofopticnervecellsandbers waytoavoidthatunlikelypossibilityistogetinthebackoftheeyeusingalaser.Itisvery onandstayonMStreatment.13 msfocusmagazine.org'