Walsh & Hoyt: Asymptomatic (Subclinical) Demyelinating Optic Neuritis

A substantial percentage of patients with MS have clinical or laboratory evidence of optic nerve dysfunction even though they have no visual complaints andbelieve their vision to be normal. The Optic Neuritis Study Group found that 48% of patients with apparently unilateral optic neuritis andno history of previous optic neuritis in the contralateral eye nevertheless hadan abnormal visual fieldunexplained by intraocular pathology in their asymptomatic, fellow eye. A substantial percentage of these eyes also hadd isturbances of visual acuity, color vision, andcontrast sensitivity.