NBEO Part III Patient Encounters and Performance Skills (PEPS) Practice Test

Optic neuritis is a common presenting sign of demyelinating disease in the CNS, most strongly linked to multiple sclerosis. When optic neuritis occurs, MRI of the brain (and sometimes the orbits) is used to look for demyelinating lesions characteristic of MS. Finding these lesions helps confirm the diagnosis, informs prognosis, and guides treatment decisions. The other conditions—osteoarthritis, hypertension, and glaucoma—do not have the same association with demyelinating disease and do not routinely prompt MRI to evaluate for MS.