Optic neuritis: symptoms and methods of treatment

Neuritis is an inflammatory disease that affects the peripheral nerves. Neuritis can manifest itself quite palpable pains in the place where the nerve is located, as well as atrophy and muscle weakness. Often there may be changes in the sensitivity of the skin to pain, heat, cold, touch. Optic neuritis is one of the serious diseases that requires urgent intervention of specialists.

The disease begins with an inflammatory process and reduced vision functions. It can develop as a retrobulbar (inflammation of the orbital region), intracranial (inflammation of the optic nerve) neuritis. Also in the form of papillitis (inflammation of the optic disc).

Provoke neuritis of the optic nerve is capable of inflammatory processes in the brain: meningitis, encephalitis. In addition, chronic, acute and common infections - influenza, angina, tuberculosis, smallpox, syphilis, non-infectious diseases - gout, blood diseases, diabetes, nephritis. The reasons can be and in the pregnancy proceeding with a pathology, a multiple sclerosis, an inflammation of orbits and internal covers of an eye, an alcoholic intoxication.

Neuritis of the optic nerve proceeds with the following symptoms: decreased vision, concentration, the appearance of a stain, a violation of the perception of color, painful sensations in the movements of the eyes. There may come a sharp drop in visual functions. With more detailed diagnosis, it can be seen that in patients with neuritis the retinal arteries are somewhat narrowed, the veins are convoluted and enlarged.

Neuritis of the optic nerve can be directly related to the affected area, for example, if the facial nerve is affected (often observed with middle ear disease), the asymmetry of the face may appear : the corner of the mouth is lowered, the eye does not close, the diseased can not wrinkle the forehead, puff up teeth, inflate cheeks .

Treatment of neuritis occurs in a hospital after determining the cause that caused this malaise. Treatment is carried out using anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics. A good help is vitamin, detoxification and spasmolytic therapy.

With the help of ophthalmoscopy (using the fundus lens and ophthalmoscope, the examination of the fundus is performed ), optic neuritis is diagnosed. Such a survey provides an opportunity to identify changes that have occurred on the site of the optic nerve disc. Difficulties can arise when recognizing neuritis, which occurs without a pronounced decrease in vision. In such situations, differential diagnosis is performed to identify the presence of a pseudo-inertia or stagnant disc. With these diseases, normal visual functions remain, but partial or complete edema of the optic nerve disk is present. With a stagnant disc, high intracranial pressure occurs. If small foci of exudate or hemorrhages appear in the tissues of the disc or on the retina, then this proves the diagnosis of neuritis.

Another problem - neuritis of the auditory nerve, can be both acquired and congenital disease. The causes can be in infectious diseases, such as gipp, measles, malaria, syphilis and others, as well as poisoning with poisons or medications, allergies, arachnoiditis.

The appearance of neuritis can be associated with exposure to the body of vibration and noise, craniocerebral trauma. May be a consequence of otitis - acute or chronic.

The neuritis of the auditory nerve symptoms is as follows:

- hearing loss;

- noise of varying intensity;

- ringing in the ears;

- temporary hearing loss may occur.

A patient with acute manifestations of the disease must be hospitalized. In acute intoxication prescribed diuretics. With infectious neuritis - stimulants and antibiotics. To reduce the noise in the ears, Novocaine blockades are used.