Optic neuritis diagnosed by bedside emergency physician-performed ultrasound: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Optic neuritis is an inflammatory demyelinating condition of the optic nerve that causes subacute visual loss. It is often the result of an underlying systemic condition, such as multiple sclerosis. Due to the possible long-term morbidity associated with this condition, it is essential that the emergency physician recognizes the diagnosis and expedites treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This case report describes optic neuritis diagnosed at the bedside by emergency physician-performed ultrasound.

CASE REPORT: This is a case report of a young man presenting with unilateral painful vision loss. Optic neuritis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of any young patient who presents with visual complaints without any other neurologic findings. This report is unique because there are very few cases describing the findings of optic neuritis on emergency physician-performed bedside ultrasound in the literature.

CONCLUSIONS: This article presents the case, describes diagnostic modalities, especially the use of ultrasound in its diagnosis, and the course of treatment for this particular condition.