The optic nerve, all 1.75 inches of it, has long challenged science to find the reasons it can become inflamed. In 1890, 40 years after the ophthalmoscope arrived on the diagnostic scene, physician A.A. Hubbell observed in the Buffalo Medical Journal that “[Optic] neuritis, as a rule, presents nothing which distinguishes its cause.” And while technologies now exist to help pinpoint why a patient has optic neuritis, physicians are still vexed by the nerve’s diagnostic one upmanship. In interviews with prominent neuro-ophthalmologists, who discuss recent diagnostic and treatment successes, they interject a poignant caveat: Therapeutic success for optic neuritis requires rapid diagnosis and treatment—days, not months—to save the patient’s sight. Here, they share their tips for ferreting out the cause. Read More