Optic Neuritis
- Causes and Risk Factors
What causes optic neuritis?
The commonest cause of optic nerve inflammation in Singapore is demyelinating (destruction of the myelin sheath of the optic nerve), the underlying cause of which is unknown, although a viral infection may be implicated.
In countries with a predominantly Caucasian population, this demyelination may be a manifestation of a neurological condition known as multiple sclerosis (MS).
Other causes may be due to and not limited to:
- Association with systemic autoimmune/inflammatory diseases such as systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), Sjogren's Syndrome, sarcoidosis and Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA) also known as “Wegener's Granulomatosis”
- Isolated autoimmune optic neuritis, which is not associated with any defined systemic autoimmune/inflammatory disease like those mentioned above
- Neuromyelitis optic (NMO) or Devic's disease
- Anti-MOG (Myelin-oligodendrocyte-glycoprotein) related optic neuritis
- Chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy (CRION)
