I am now a new member to the relapsing MS club. Dx 11-08. Optic Neuritis in my right eye was the symptom that began this new journey. I received solumedrol IV treatment that gave some releif for 2-3 weeks. Optic Neuritis vision has returned back to pre IV treatment. Starting Rebif next week. My questions are: How many patients with Optic Neuritis ever get their vision back? Will my headaches go away if I do get my vision back?
I had a bout of optical neuritis over ten years ago now. I had no idea that it was a precursor to having MS. I didn't have any symptoms (that I am aware of) for a decade and then my other MS symptoms began of having weakness, numbness, and a loss of balance. I was given oral prednisone back then and...my optical neuritis went away in some weeks. I believe most people do recover from it. Not sure about the headaches. It is best to ask your doctor about that.
Nice to meet you and not sure if this sounds good to say or not but welcome to the club. There are a lot of very nice and supportive folk here. Hope you stick around.
Hi OrangeDog,
Welcome to the club 
Sorry you've had to join under these circumstances, but you've come to a place with some overy supportive folk.
My first obvious MS-related event was optic neuritis in my right eye. My vision went gray, completely opaque, for almost two months. It did slowly return to normal.
I have residual damage which really is most noticeable if I'm looking directly a extremely bright lights, such as the ones used during an eye exam. Shine the light in my right eye and it's okay. Shine the light in my left eye and I can hardly keep that eye open.
It's promising that you responded to the IV Solumedrol treatment. Did you do 5 days or only 3 days? Did you have an oral taper of Prednisone or Decadron for 2 weeks?
I have heard of some people needing to repeat a Solumedrol treatment if the first one was not completely effective. Also, how long were you experiencing vision difficulties before you did get the high-dose steroids?
The longer the symptom has been going on, I'm told, the longer it may take to resolve after steroids. Don't quote me on it, but that's my understanding. And, some symptoms may hang around a bit and suddenly resolve days, weeks, or months later. It's so very unpredictable.
But, absolutely call your neurologist and let him/her know that it seems the optic neuritis has come back or rather hasn't gone away. Good luck with the Rebif injections. You'll become a pro at it faster than you can imagine.
Lisa
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Hi orangedog -- cute dog! I had optic neuritis six years ago in my left eye. I didn't lose total vision; it was more fuzzy like I had a coating over my eye. It gradually got worse over about four weeks, then stayed bad for about another four weeks, and then gradually got better over the next 4-6 weeks. At the worst point, my eyes were very light sensitive and I would even wear my sunglasses indoors. Working on a computer was difficult. After that three month time-frame, my vision was completely back to normal.
Having said that, I think everyone has a somewhat different story. But I have heard that most people -- especially those new to the disease -- are more likely to completely recover from these episodes.
I hope all goes well for you. Be patient with yourself and let us know how you are doing.
Hello Julie;
Thank you for sharing your experience with ON. It is darn fustrating to me as I think my head aches are caused by it. I cannot stand to read anymore. This is a problem as I have to work on a computer and read technical papers for my job. I only seem to be good from early Am til around 11 am. after that, my head starts to ache, my eye becomes more blurry and then my mood changes. When all this happens, all I want to do is take a nap. Covering my bad eye does not help with my vision (good eye) and does not help with the headaches. I sure hope I can adjust to this and become productive again.
My orange dog, Kylie, is my best friend. She knows when I need to play, and when I am not feeling well. She likes to take me for walks and swim when it is hot out. Can't find a friend like this just anywhere.
Regards,