Not diagnosed - optic neuritis & reflexes

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

Hi

I haven’t been diagnosed with MS but I’m going through investigations for it.

I had my first experience of optic neuritis a few months ago whereby my vision in my right eye was blurred for two weeks and I had faded colour vision during that time as well.

I went to the optician who found nothing wrong with my eye and then was referred to the eye clinic who suspected optic neuritis and referred me to neurology.

Before my neurology appointment I had a MRI scan of my brain.

At my neurology appointment the doctor said my MRI was normal, which is great, and he carried out his own nerve exam on me.

He said that he wants to arrange a spine MRI as the reflexes in my legs and ankles are abnormal and, he said, “exaggerated”.

Just wondered if anyone else has experienced this kind of reflex abnormality and what that could mean if it is MS?

Many thanks

Louise

2

Hi Louise,

That’s my daughter’s name; you’re not my daughter, are you?

Optic Neuritis is a lesion/s on the Optic Nerve or deeper in the brain so an optician would not see it in the eye.

The tests that would show this is the MRI you had; but only if it took in your Optic Nerve which I would have thought it would or a Visual Evoked Potential.

Your symptoms, apart from your ON seem to be below the waist so that is why your doctor is asking for a spinal MRI. This is a map of the spine Map of Spinal Column and if you have lesion/s there anywhere below where indicated could have problems.

This will explain ON; mult-sclerosis.org

This will explain a Visual Evoked Potential; mult-sclerosis.org

George