Diagnosing acute retrobulbar neuritis by vitreous fluorophotometry.

We studied six patients with acute retrobulbar neuritis (including two with definite multiple sclerosis) during acute episodes and in convalescence, clinically and with fluorescein angiography and vitreous fluorophotometry. We compared vitreous fluorophotometric readings with visual-evoked responses. In seven of ten eyes with abnormal visual-evoked responses, there was an acute increase in posterior vitreous fluorophotometric readings. Vitreous fluorophotometry may be useful as objective evidence of (1) acute retrobulbar neuritis, (2) involvement of the asymptomatic eye in acute retrobulbar neuritis, (3) the duration of neuritic inflammation in acute retrobulbar neuritis, (4) a recurrence of acute retrobulbar neuritis, (5) alterations in the blood-ocular barrier in patients with acute retrobulbar neuritis in multiple sclerosis, and (6) the effects of corticosteroids and other therapeutic agents in the treatment of acute retrobulbar neuritis.