The Effect of Corticosteroids for Acute Optic Neuritis on the Subsequent Development of Multiple Sclerosis

Optic neuritis is frequently the first manifestation of multiple sclerosis 1 . Even when optic neuritis occurs without other clinical signs of multiple sclerosis (“isolated optic neuritis”), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain often demonstrates signal abnormalities of white matter, 2 – 5 and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid often shows oligoclonal bands 6 – 8 . Within 2 years of an attack of optic neuritis, the risk of multiple sclerosis is approximately 20 percent, 8 – 12 and within 15 years it is in the range of 45 to 80 percent 8 – 11 . The Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial, a multicenter, randomized clinical trial of corticosteroid treatment . . .