Optic Neuritis
What is Optic Neuritis (ON)?
Optic neuritis is a condition characterized by an acute inflammation of the optic nerve that can lead to permanent visual impairment
It is estimated that this condition affects up to 8 in 100,000 people worldwide1 with a U.S. incidence estimated to be >30,000.1,2
Optic neuritis often represents the first sign of multiple sclerosis and mainly occurs in adults between the age of 20 and 40 years with a higher prevalence in women (2:1).3
Optic neuritis is when inflammation in the optic nerve causes pain, vision loss and other symptoms. It is a type of optic neuropathy (nerve disease) and happens when inflammation affects signals traveling through the optic nerve.3
The cells that make up the optic nerve, the retinal ganglion cells’ axons, have a fatty coating called a myelin sheath. When patients have optic neuritis, that sheath deteriorates. The coating is protective. Without it, the nerve axons can’t send signals properly. That’s why various forms of vision loss are common symptoms of this condition.3
Symptoms can include:3
- Eye pain which usually worsens with eye movement
- Vision acuity loss with vision becoming less clear or sharp
- Visual field defects or vision loss often with a gap in the center of the visual field
- Color vision loss (dyschromatopsia), especially red
What are the current treatment
options for ON?
While corticosteroids are used to shorten the inflammatory attack, there remains an unmet medical need for therapies that preserves vision by providing neuroprotection after an acute episode of optic neuritis.4
To date there is no specific neuroprotective therapy approved for optic neuritis and unmet needs remain for therapies that can prevent vision loss after an acute episode by avoiding nerve cells damage or death.
Learn more about Privosegtor, an investigational neuroprotective drug candidate being evaluated as a potential treatment for optic neuritis and other neuro-ophthalmic conditions in the PIONEER clinical trials.
Oculis is not responsible for the content of any third-party sites or resources, and cannot guarantee the quality of information or support provided.
Privosegtor is an investigational drug candidate and has not been approved by the FDA. Safety and efficacy of Privosegtor for optic neuritis have not been established.
References
1. Martínez-Lapiscina EH, et al. (2014): Is the incidence of optic neuritis rising? Evidence from an epidemiological study in Barcelona (Spain) 2008-2012. J Neurol. 2014 Apr; 261(4): 759-767. 2. Weidong Gu et al. (2023) Incidence of Optic Neuritis and the Associated Risk of Multiple Sclerosis for Service Members of U.S. Armed Forces, Military Medicine, vol. 188, March/April 2023 3. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14256-optic-neuritis 4. Galetta SL, et al. (2015) Acute optic neuritis: Unmet clinical needs and model for new therapies. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm.