Acute Treatments

Corticosteroids are the most common treatment for ON. They may be given intravenously or as high dose tablets.  While corticosteroids have been effective in improving short-term visual recovery, they do not seem to affect the long-term outcome.  Due to the lack of long-term benefit and the risk of potential side effects (including: insomnia, weight gain, and mood alterations), the use of corticosteroids is usually not advised. However, there are specific situations where they may be used to reduce the period of impairment and are usually considered when a more rapid recovery is required (such as patients with severe bilateral visual loss or those with occupations that require normal visual acuity). Unfortunately, there are currently no acute treatments that can reverse vision loss caused by ON.