Optic Neuritis Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics in United Arab Emirates

Differences exist in the clinical profile of optic neuritis (ON) among various populations. In a single tertiary care neuro-ophthalmology clinic, we reviewed charts between 2016 and 2021, to identify patients with ON. Patients with at least one single episode of ON, and a follow up for at least six months were included. Patients from countries outside the Middle East were not eligible to participate. We performed a sub-analysis using data from the clinic, laboratory, and radiological findings to classify patients with ON into four groups: idiopathic ON, multiple sclerosis associated ON (MS-ON), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder associated ON (NMOSD-ON), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein associated disease associated ON (MOGAD-ON). Seventy-seven patients met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Approximately, two thirds of the patients had MS-ON, 17 patients had idiopathic ON, 6 patients were diagnosed with NMOSD-ON, and 4 patients had MOGAD-ON. Among all patients enrolled in the study, the mean age was 29.8 ± 9.53 years. Patients with MS-ON and MOGAD-ON were relatively younger compared to patients from other groups (p