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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Dynamic Visual Tests to Identify and Quantify Visual Damage and Repair Following Demyelination in Optic Neuritis Patients
Published on: April 14, 2014
Near-infrared spectroscopy of the visual cortex in unilateral optic neuritis
Atsushi Miki1, Takashi Nakajima, Mineo Takagi
1Division of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8510, Japan. amiki@tc5.so-net.ne.jp
Purpose:
To examine the occipital-lobe activation of patients with optic neuritis using near-infrared spectroscopy.
Design:
Experimental study.
Methods:
NIRS was performed on five patients with acute unilateral optic neuritis during monocular visual stimulation. As controls, six normal subjects were also tested in the same manner.
Results:
In the patients with optic neuritis, the changes in the hemoglobin concentrations (oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and total hemoglobin) in the occipital lobe were found to be markedly reduced when the clinically affected eyes were stimulated compared with the fellow eyes. The response induced by the stimulation of the affected eye was decreased, even when the patient's visual acuity improved to 20/20 in the recovery phase. There was no difference in the concentration changes between the two eyes in the control subjects.
Conclusions:
NIRS may be useful in detecting visual dysfunction objectively and noninvasively in patients with visual disturbance, especially when used at the bedside.
