Optic nerve
The Optic Nerve is the second cranial nerve of the twelve cranial nerve pairs. Each nerve is located at the back of each eye and connects it to the brain. It transmits the impulses formed from light by the retina to the brain for interpretation in the form of images. The optic nerve The eye and brain share a common part of the optic nerve, which is part of the central nervous system and not peripheral in terms of embryonic development, but its function is In sending visual signals from the eye to the brain.
The optic nerve is composed of nerve cells consisting of more than one million nerve fibers derived from the retinal neurons. The optic nerve is encased with myelin, which accelerates nerve activity and isolates the electrical conduction of the nerve. This nerve transfers all visual information, It also transmits the optical pulses responsible for the pupil’s narrowing as a result of the brightness of light in the eye. This is called medically called light reflex. It also transmits the optical impulses responsible for changing the shape of the lens when a person looks at something Close, who knocks Medical Reflexification (Reflex) from the eye to the brain.
Optic neuritis
Because the optic nerve is responsible for the transmission of visual information to the brain, any damage to it, such as inflammation, for example, swelling or injury will affect the vision.
A disease that can affect the eye optic neuritis (Optic Neuritis), occurs when the loss of the surrounding material, or exposure to harm and harm, usually affects the disease adults who are not over the age of forty-five, and women are more Are prone to optic neuritis from men, and there are many reasons that can cause optic neuritis.
Tips on optic nerve inflammation
Although optic neuritis often disappears alone without medical intervention, eye problems in general can be serious and can lead to vision loss forever. Patients with optic neuritis are advised to:
- Check with your eye doctor if you feel pain in the eye or loss of vision. You should check with the eye doctor if the patient does not improve or worsen after taking the necessary treatment or feeling symptoms indicating that there is a neurological problem such as feeling weak and numb to the limbs.
- In order to speed up healing, the doctor may prescribe a steroid drug given intravenously. If the patient has MS, this dose may delay or reduce the chance of complications of other sclerosis.
- One of the reasons that can lead to optic neuritis is alcohol and smoking so it is recommended to avoid or stop drinking alcohol and smoking.
- Try to avoid infection of the viral respiratory tract, because 50% of cases of optic neuritis arise as an immune response after exposure to viral infection, although it is impossible to avoid this completely, there are practices that can be done to reduce the chance of infection of the viral respiratory system, : Especially wash hands before touching the face, teach children to close their mouth when sneezing, must be careful to teach children how to maintain personal hygiene, make them realize the importance of it, so as to reduce the spread of these diseases among family members.
- Patients are also advised to maintain good nutrition, to eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, alpha lipoic acid, taurine, and raspberries, as these foods reduce inflammation. Avoid drinking stimulants such as tea and coffee, And canned fish, preferably avoid eating white bread when optic nerve inflammation,
- Drink adequate amounts of water, especially during the onset of acute symptoms of the disease.
- Avoid exercise that requires great physical effort, although it is advisable to exercise for 20 minutes a day, because it helps and helps the body to fight inflammation.
- Avoid overheating the body.
- It is recommended to eat vegetable juice made of spinach, red beet, and carrots; reducing the pain caused by optic nerve inflammation.
- Supplements containing vitamin B2 and vitamin B12 and pantotonic acid, which acts as an antioxidant that promotes and protects the functions of inflamed nerves.
Causes of optic neuritis
Causes of optic neuritis:
- The disease is one of the most common causes of optic neuritis, and MS is an immune disease in which the body destroys nerve protective covers.
- Infection is an example of infection that leads to optic neuritis, toxoplasmosis caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, one of the most common parasites.
- Sinusitis.
- Mumps.
- Ocular herpes infection.
- Meningitis.
- Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune disease in which the body attacks its nervous system.
- Myelitis and optic nerve, also known as neuromyelitis optica.
- Viral encephalitis.
- tuberculosis.
- Lyme disease.
- Neurological disorders.
- malnutrition.
- Drink alcohol and smoking.
- Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.
- Some drugs, such as some antibiotics and quinine.
Symptoms of optic nerve
Symptoms that may appear on a patient optic neuritis include:
- Loss of sight, usually occurs in one eye, and the severity of loss of vision varies from patient to patient. Some may suffer from haze and a slight decline in vision, and may lead to complete blindness in others. The duration of vision loss can last from seven to ten days , As it is often a temporary condition, but in some cases loss of sight can continue forever.
- The inability to correctly identify and visualize colors.
- Loss of visual contrast.
- Pain around the eye, and this pain increases when moving the eye.
- Change in pupil reaction when exposed to bright light.
- Inability to see from side.
- The high body temperature associated with the worsening of poor vision in the patient, and is known phenomenon Uthhoff’s phenomenon.
- Symptoms worsen when you exercise.
Diagnosis of optic neuritis
Diagnosis of optic neuritis is done by an ophthalmologist. This is done by taking the patient’s information and symptoms, then by examining the eye, assessing the vision of the patient, distinguishing the colors and his ability to see from the sides. If the eye is infected with optic neuritis, its pupil will not contract at the point where the pupil’s right pupil is contracted.
It is also possible to perform the binoscopy of the eye to see the back eye, and the importance of this examination to see the optical disk, which swells in a third of people with optic neuritis, where the optical disk is where the optic nerve enters the retina.
Diagnosis of optic neuritis may also require a magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. This image can identify the cause of optic neuritis such as scleroderma, which leads to the appearance of damaged areas of the brain on the image, or to other causes of loss of vision; Brain tumor led to loss of sight.
The doctor may also request blood tests to rule out other causes that may be the cause of optic neuritis.
- Check for blood deposition speed.
- Tests for thyroid function.
- Antinuclear Antibody Test.
- Rapid plasma reagin test.
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (Angiotensin-converting enzyme)