title: Visual function 15 years after optic neuritis: a final follow-up report from the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess visual function 15 years after acute unilateral optic neuritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal follow-up of a randomized clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred ninety-four patients who were randomized in the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial between 1988 and 1991 and underwent examination in 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  A neuro-ophthalmic examination included measurements of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visual field. Quality of life was assessed with the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire and Neuro-ophthalmic Supplement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Abnormal vision and health-related quality-of-life scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-two percent of the eyes affected with optic neuritis at study entry had visual acuity of > or = 20/20 and 66% of patients had > or = 20/20 acuity in both eyes. On average, visual function was slightly worse among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) than among with those without MS. As expected, quality-of-life scores were lower when acuity was reduced and when neurologic disability from MS was present.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term visual outcome is favorable for the majority of patients who experience optic neuritis even when MS is present.
authors.affiliation: Jaeb Center for Health Research, 15310 Amberly Drive, Suite 350, Tampa, FL 33647, USA.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids