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A Definitive Answer and Profound Impact With Unexpected Results

Nicholas J. Volpe, MD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(7):996-999.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial (ONTT) has had a highly significant impact on the practices of ophthalmology and neurology. The impact can be attributed to its systematic collection and analysis of enormous amounts of data, adherence to sound clinical trial methodology, as well as important unanticipated findings.

For lack of a more precise definition, optic neuritis is an acute, noninfectious inflammatory optic neuropathy that predominantly affects young people. By the end of the 19th century, the clinical profile of this disorder and its relationship to multiple sclerosis (MS) were well characterized.^1-3 In the subsequent 100 years, numerous reports identifying erroneous etiologies and seemingly successful treatments were published; however, we still lacked the complete clinical profile and an understanding of its natural history. The value of treating optic neuritis with corticosteroids, a treatment first available in the 1950s, remained controversial. Although several investigators had reported that corticosteroid . . . [Full Text of this Article]

ONTT RESULTS


STUDY DESIGN

GOALS

CLINICAL PROFILE OF OPTIC NEURITIS

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPTIC NEURITIS AND MS

LEGACY

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Author Affiliation: Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

RELATED ARTICLE

Treatment of Acute Optic Neuritis: A Summary of Findings From the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial
Roy W. Beck and Robin L. Gal
Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(7):994-995.
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