Critical review: Typical and atypical optic neuritis

Abstract

Typical optic neuritis is an idiopathic demyelinating condition that is often associated with multiple sclerosis. This has been well characterized and has an excellent prognosis. Atypical optic neuritis can result from an inflammatory, infectious, or autoimmune disorder. Differentiating the two types of optic neuritis is paramount and may be challenging early on in the clinical course. This review describes the recent literature describing the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, neuroimaging, and management of these disorders.

Keywords: infectious optic neuritis; inflammatory optic neuritis; multiple sclerosis; myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody; neuromyelitis optica; optic neuritis; optic perineuritis.