Optic neuritis is diagnosed by an ophthalmologist or neurologist. In order to reach a diagnosis, they will want to know how your vision is affected, when your symptoms came on, and whether you’ve had any previous neurological symptoms.
They may carry out some tests. These many include blood tests and ‘visual evoked potentials’. This tests how well your optic nerve is working, by checking how long it takes your brain to react to a visual signal. They may also carry out an MRI scan of the optic nerve, to look for signs of inflammation.
If this is your first MS-like symptom, you may also be referred to a neurologist for further tests, including an MRI scan of your brain.
> Read more about the tests for MS
Other eye conditions can look like optic neuritis, so, depending on your symptoms, you may need to have further tests. This is more likely if your symptoms aren’t typical, for example:
- if you have very severe pain that disturbs your sleep or limits how much you can move your eyes
- if you lose your sight completely in the affected eye
- if both of your eyes are affected
- if your sight hasn’t started to improve after three to four weeks