Cat -

Based on what I've read people describing ON over the years, there's gonna be a wide range of variation...

Mine was painless. Vision deteriorated over about 72 hours from fuzzy to complete white-out in right eye.

I say painless, but I was experiencing extreme pain in the lower back left side of my neck at the same time. It started 3 weeks before the eye went.

Check this out for timing - they were looking for candidates for the ONTT (optic neuritis treatment trials) at the time (1988). They talked me into being a guinea pig. So I did the 3 or 4 or 5 or whatever day IV steroid thing (I was in the hospital 5 days - I don't know how long the steroids were dripping into me).

Vision came back 90% after 3 months. It's been at 90% for over 20 years now. Still slightly blurry. 90% is subjective. 95% would be accurate too...

Tom

Did the pain in the neck get worse when you moved your eyes or if you turned your head and eyes a certain way?

I had a weird extremely painful pain in my neck just before and during the first month or two I had my first case of ON. I didnt feel it the last two times tho, but those were nowhere near as bad as the first time I had it.

I did/do not have pain in my neck, although my neck has been very stiff lately. Iam 43 now. When I was about 25 I was sitting at work and all of the sudden I lost vision in my eye. (I can't remember which one) The person sitting across from just kind of half dissapeared. It was like a big white spot. At the time the dr. told me I probabley had a mirgrain. I did not get a headach. Since then this has happend 2 more time. THe most recent time (2 years ago) I got the typical halo aura that lasted for about 1/2 hour. All three time I did not get a headaches. One of the reasons for the lesions on my mri was possible mirgain disorder. Maybe that is what this is all about. I do get terrible headaches that go straight across the top of my head, alot. I also seem to have trouble absorbing b12 from food. Iam ok if I take sublingal tabs.

No. Pain was not associated with eyes. I suspect the caffeine pills for fatigue.

Tom