LONGITUDINAL OPTIC NEURITIS STUDY

该提案旨在继续对1988年至1991年期间入组视神经炎治疗试验（ONT）并自1992年以来作为纵向视神经炎研究（隆恩）的一部分进行随访的患者队列进行长期随访研究。 ONT的主要目的是评估皮质类固醇治疗急性视神经炎的疗效。 隆恩的主要目的是（1）评价视神经炎后视功能的长期病程和（2）调查视神经炎和多发性硬化症（MS）之间的关系。 本申请是隆恩的延续，以获取关于该独特患者队列的视觉病程和神经病程的其他有价值的长期随访信息。隆恩为研究一组特征明确的视神经炎患者提供了一个独特的机会。 没有其他研究曾经收集和评估如此广泛的标准化方法，如此大量的视神经炎患者。 从ONT方案开发开始，就认识到了治疗试验在提供一个可以纵向随访的患者队列以回答有关视神经炎的许多关键视觉和神经学问题方面的重要性。 这组患者是通过相当大的努力和成本聚集起来的。 目前拟议的五年延长期所涉费用与研究总费用相比很小。 本研究的信息将对视神经炎患者的治疗和生活质量具有相关性。在提案的前四年，患者联系将通过电话和数据协调中心的邮件保持。在第五年，14家隆恩诊所将重新获得认证，每位患者将按照目前隆恩中使用的方案接受眼部检查、视功能测试和神经系统检查。 此次访视将与每例患者15-17年的随访时间一致。主要手稿计划用于眼科和神经系统结果。超过80%的原始队列仍在随访中，并且已建立机制以确保这一高比率将持续下去，从而为长期研究提供有效结果。

This proposal is to continue a long-term follow-up study of the cohort of patients who were entered into the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial (ONTT) between 1988 and 1991 and have been followed as part of the Longitudinal Optic Neuritis Study (LONS) since 1992. The ONTT's primary objective was to assess the efficacy of corticosteroids in the treatment of acute optic neuritis. The LONS' primary objectives are (1) the evaluation of the long-term course of visual function after optic neuritis and (2) investigation of the relationship between optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis (MS). This application is for a continuation of the LONS to acquire additional valuable long-term follow-up information about both the visual course and the neurologic course in this unique patient cohort. The LONS provides a unique opportunity to study a cohort of well- characterized patients with optic neuritis. No other study has ever assembled and evaluated so extensively with standardized methodology such a large number of patients with optic neuritis. The importance of the treatment trial in providing a cohort of patients which could be followed longitudinally to answer many key visual and neurologic questions concerning optic neuritis was recognized from the onset of development of the ONTT protocol. This cohort of patients was assembled through considerable effort and cost. The costs involved in the current proposed five-year extension are small compared to the overall study costs. The information emanating from this study will have both therapeutic and quality of life relevance for patients with optic neuritis. For the first four years of the proposal, patient contact will be maintained through phone calls and mailings from the Data Coordinating Center. In the fifth year, the 14 LONS clinics will be recertified and each patient will be seen for an ocular examination, visual function testing, and neurologic examination by protocols currently utilized in the LONS. This visit will coincide with 15-17 years of follow up for each patient. Major manuscripts are planned for both the ophthalmic and neurologic results. More than 80% of the original cohort remains in follow up and mechanisms are in place to assure that this high rate will continue so as to provide valid results for the long-term study.