It has been a while since I posted anything, which is a good thing - right?. There hasn't been anything to post on regarding my medical condition; however, there are some miscellaneous things I can tell you about...
Next Thursday, 10/26/07, Casey and I are going to another MS seminar on "Optic Neuritis & MS". If I remember correctly, my neurologist said I had optic neuritis in my right eye. I say 'another' seminar because on 9/25/07 we went to our first MS seminar which was on "Balance Issues". I do not I have any balance issues, but we thought it would be good to get involved with a local MS group. It was interesting. We couldn't help to notice I was the youngest person attending the seminar with MS. Regardless, it was the first time I was able to see others who had some form of MS (I don't know who had what form), both women and men. Of course, there were more women and men in attendance, which is to be expected since the disease is more common in women.
Anyway, I hope the 10/25 seminar is more interesting than the last one. Dr. Luis Mejico, a neuro-opthalmologists from SUNY Upstate Medical Center (yup, where Casey is going to Med School), is the presenter. Casey said he is gave a lecture a few days ago at Upstate and he found him to be an entertaining speaker as well as a pretty down-to-earth nice guy.
What is optic neuritis? 
Optic neuritis is the inflammation of the optic nerve, the nerve located in the back of the eye that transmits light and visual images to the brain and is responsible for vision. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 55% of people with MS will have an episode of optic neuritis. Frequently, it's the first symptom of the disease. Although having optic neuritis is very suggestive of MS, it does not mean that a person has or will get MS.
The symptoms of optic neuritis are the acute onset of any of the following:
- Pain in the eye
- Blurred vision
- Graying of vision
- Blindness in one eye
It's rare that both eyes are affected simultaneously. Loss of vision tends to worsen over the course of a few days before getting better. This usually takes about 4-12 weeks. Treatment may include intravenous and/or oral steroids to control the inflammation.
Source: WebMd.com
FYI: For additional reading on optic neuritis, click the following link to WebMD's website for a short 'blip' on "Multiple Sclerosis and Vision Problems": http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/guide/multiple-sclerosis-vision-problems
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