Results Fifteen patients were identified. Eleven patients were treated with intravenous Steroids. Thirty percent of the patients had vision of finger counting or worse. Two patients had positive serology for Lyme disease. Conclusions Optic Neuritis presents differently in children than in adults.
Children typically have bilateral involvement with papillitis following an antecedent viral illness.
Although Visual prognosis is poorer in children than adults, the development of MS is less common in children. Usually reported in adults, childhood cases constitute a distinctive clinical entity with good Visual and Neurological prognosis without long-term recurrence or sequelae. The pathogenesis is explained by AutoImmune DeMyelinization triggered by a Viral Disease. Some authors suggest an infectious cause. The CT scan is usually negative while MRI shows nonspecific small foci in the White Matter.