aetiology
Last reviewed 06/2023
Multiple sclerosis is the most common cause of retrobulbar neuritis accounting for 25-60% of cases.
Other causes of optic neuritis:
- other demyelinating disease, e.g. Devic's disease
- toxic amblyopia
- metabolic - vitamin deficiencies, especially of B12; severe anaemia
- ischaemia - diabetes mellitis; temporal arteritis; arteriosclerosis
- familial - Leber's disease
- infection:
- viral - herpes zoster, infectious mononucleosis, typhoid fever
- bacterial - neurosyphilis, meningitis, tuberculosis
- other - toxoplasmosis