Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Español
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

optic neuritis

(OP-tik noo-RY-tis)
Inflammation of the optic nerve (the nerve that carries messages from the back of the eye to the brain). It may be caused by infection, drugs, toxins, and diseases of the immune system, such as multiple sclerosis. Symptoms include sudden changes in vision in one eye, including loss of vision and pain with eye movement. The symptoms often disappear within a few weeks.
Search NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms