Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the leading disabling neurological diseases in young Adults. Characteristically reliable biomarkers for every independent MS pathogenic factor are extremely important.
1 Increasing evidence has demonstrated that neuronal and axonal damage within the central nervous system (CNS) contributes substantially to the development of permanent disability in patients with MS
* 2 Thus, reliable, economic and easily assessable complementary surrogate biomarkers for axonal Degeneration and consequently disability remain to be identified
* 3 The optic nerve can serve as a useful clinical tool for studying these characteristics and can be used to Measure and monitor the pathological process of the disease. The optic nerve is most commonly assessed by ophthalmoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), But measurement of the optic nerve diameter (OND) by a simple ultrasound examination and measurement of optic nerve function by visual evoked potential might permit a rough estimation of the extent of brain parenchymal involvement and the consequent global cerebral atrophy and disability In relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients.
The analysis of the diameter of the optic nerve showed that it is possible To detect its atrophy in the affected eyes (with optic neuritis ) and, to a lesser extent, in un affected eye Also the visual evoked potential study has the ability to quantify the unsuspected clinically silent lesions, hence, allows confirming the vague deterioration of visual functions.
