causes of swollen optic nerve
If the optic nerve becomes swollen, vision can be dramatically affected. While swollen optic nerves can have many causes, the most common ones include papilledema or increased spinal fluid pressure, inflammation, blood vessel blockage, infection and a mass compressing the nerve.
Optic nerve swelling due to inflammation is called optic neuritis. Optic neuritis may be the first sign of an autoimmune disease, such as multiple sclerosis. It can also be caused by certain infections, including measles, mumps, chicken pox, shingles, Lyme disease, cat scratch fever, meningitis and syphilis.
Ischemic optic neuropathy is a swollen optic nerve caused by damage to one of the arteries leading to the eye. In younger individuals, this condition typically starts with a painless loss of vision in one eye caused by a blocked artery.