I am on my second bout of optic neuritis. I am 57 and had the 1st bout in 1968 - yep, 30 years ago! At that time I was still in my teens and they had no idea what the cause was. We did absolutely nothing about it and in 3 or 4 months it went away. Ten years later I got valley fever & it kicked off an autoimmune response. I spent a year in bed with that combination! At that time I was diagnosed as having sarcoid. I have been "sick" off & on over the decades but I literally run circles around all my friends. Sure, I have bad spells & a few odd symptoms , but it really isn't all that bad. I just had my eye examined again yesterday and the results of my mri are back. No lesions. Again, we are going to nothing & let it clear up on it's own.
Here are some things i've learned about optic neuritis and about being autoimmune:
the 3 most common causes of optic neuritis are lyme, sarcoid, & ms. But, it can also come on for no visible reason, go away, & never bother you again.
The "optic neuritis treatment trials" list the results of 3 different courses of treatment. It also gives statistics. Check it out on google. My doctor & I totally agree with the no treatment option.
Nutrition, exercise, and a positive outlook are the best things you can do for yourself!!
Pamper yourself!
Ms, and all the other autoimmune diseases, affect everyone differently. Just because someone else has bad symptoms does not mean that you will get the same symptoms.
On days when you are feeling bad, have brain fog, have lots of pain, or are really clumsy, call "time out" and don't feel guilty about it!
Above all, stay positive & stay busy! Read up on optic neuritis. It almost always goes totally away.
