[Residual findings in retrobulbar neuritis during demyelinization]

Retrobulbar neuritis is a common clinical manifestation of multiple sclerosis. We evaluated and compared the results of visual field and fundus examinations, visual evoked response and nuclear magnetic resonance of the brain in 37 patients with the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and retrobulbar neuritis. Diffuse, peripheral scotomas seemed to be the most often found scotomas on perimetry in these patients. In contrary, central scotomas formed just a little part of the visual field defects. Each threshold increasing of 0.10 log. units on perimetry was followed by increased latencies of 2.5 ms. Each other central scotoma on perimetry decreased the visual acuity of the patient for 1.6 lines on the Snellen chart. The central visual field examination without periphery in the patients with multiple sclerosis and retrobulbar neuritis seems to give false negative results.