[Evolution and prognosis of retrobulbar optic neuritis as the initial symptom of multiple sclerosis]

In 61 of 300 patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, disease onset was retrobulbar optical neuritis. Comparing the clinical data of these patients with those of the remaining 239 cases, the following typical features were observed: in patients with optical neuropathy, disease onset is more frequently acute and course, in the early years of the disease, is in fits and starts. Recurrence frequency is higher in these patients but not significantly so. Prognosis, deduced from the analysis of degrees of invalidity, does not differ substantially between the two groups. Current techniques of diagnosing multiple sclerosis in patients with retrobulbar optical neuritis are also discussed.