Resolution of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-IgG optic neuritis without treatment

Background: Patients with MOG-IgG optic neuritis tend to present with severely comprised visual function during the acute phase of the disease. Treatment with corticosteroids is almost always used in the acute period to aid in visual recovery and there is limited data on the natural history without treatment.

Methods: We present the case of a 45-year-old woman who developed right eye pain worse with eye movements and mildly blurred vision and was found to have optic disk edema with peripapillary hemorrhages. Her visual acuity was 20/20 and she had several depressed points on Humphrey visual field testing. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was normal and the orbits revealed very mild enhancement of the optic nerve/optic nerve sheath. MOG-IgG was positive in the serum (medium positivity). She was observed without treatment, the pain resolved and she felt her vision returned to normal within 2 months of onset.

Conclusions: MOG-IgG optic neuritis may present with relatively preserved visual function even at its nadir. Observation may be a reasonable strategy for these patients.