1. Know Your Risk Factors
Optic neuritis typically presents in patients ranging in age from late adolescence (18 to 20) to early middle age (40 to 45), with 30 being the average age of onset. Women are far more likely than men to develop the condition, and white women in particular are at risk. If you are overweight or otherwise predisposed to getting diabetes, or if you have experienced severe exposure to radiation or other traumatic damage to the brain or spinal cord system, your risk for developing optic neuritis may be increased.
2. Control Diabetes
By managing/preventing diabetes, you will lower your risk for ultimately developing optic neuritis (along with a host of other unpleasant conditions). Many experts in the field now believe that a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fat may be effective at not only controlling diabetes, but also in coping with obesity and reducing your chances of coming down with Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis and other diseases of civilization. Visit a site like Amazon.com, and get "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by award-winning science writer Gary Taubes to learn more about the potential connection between diabetes and carbohydrate intake.
3. Drugs to Prevent the Onset of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Immunosuppressant drugs taken intravenously or orally can reduce your likelihood of developing MS or MS-like symptoms, such as optic neuritis. These drugs include the oral corticosteroid prednisone and the intravenous steroid methylprednisolone. Avoid courses of drugs that may hasten the onset of optic neuritis. The tuberculosis drug Myambutol (Ethambutol HCl), for instance, increases the risk of developing the condition.
4. Treat Infections Before They Become Severe
All manner of infections, both bacterial and viral, can hasten a condition called neuroretinitis, which greatly associates with multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis. Thus, whether you are suffering from Lyme disease, HIV or a simple bacterial infection following a cold, get treatment early, and talk to your doctor if you believe you are at risk.
