Optic Neuritis

Optic neuritis causes an inflammation of the optic nerve that connects the eye with the brain. The optic nerve fibers are coated with myelin -- the fatty tissue that protects nerve cells in the same way that insulation protects electrical wiring in a house. Myelin also helps optic nerve fibers conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain. In the majority of cases, inflammation of the optic nerve occurs as a result of damage to the myelin, called demyelination. Sometimes optic neuritis heralds subsequent episodes of neurological dysfunction suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) or Devic's disease.

At UCSF's Children's Hospital, our Regional Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center specializes in the comprehensive care of children and adolescents with optic neuritis and related degenerative diseases, such as Devic's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). The only center supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of its kind on the West Coast, we are dedicated to improving the treatment, diagnosis and awareness of children and adolescents with optic neuritis and related diseases.

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Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007