Can multiple sclerosis cause permanent blindness?
No. Multiple sclerosis causes a condition called optic neuritis which is the inflammation of the optic nerve. It occurs in one eye and in general is treatable and temporary. Optic neuritis can cause total temporary blindness in one eye and it lasts anywhere from four to as much as 12 weeks. Some people let it run its course and others prefer to take steroids to hasten improvement. I have had optic neuritis caused by MS for 20 years now. I am black and blue color blind in my left eye and my vision in that eye is still just fine for driving reading and everything else. My ophthalmologist says there no permanent damage to my optic nerve and while I may have some uncorrectable vision problems in the future, it will never cause blindness. People who have the worst progressive form of MS who have chronic optic neuritis may suffer reduced vision that impairs their day to day activities after a number of decades. My ophthalmologist tells me if a person suffers total blindness who has MS, there
