Table 2

Published cases of optic neuritis treated with corticosteroid sparing therapy^6,^9–¹⁷

First author	Year	Age/sex	Diagnosis	Eye*	Time and dose of corticosteroid or other therapy	Indication for corticosteroid sparing agent	Drug, dose, and duration (if reported)	Adverse effects	Corticosteroid dose (final)	Initial visual acuity	Final visual acuity	Comment
F, female; M, male; OD, right eye; OS, left eye; OU, both eyes; IV, intravenous; NLP, no light perception; HM, hand motion; CF, count fingers; LP, light perception.
*Uninvolved eyes are not detailed in this table.
Siatkowski RM	2001	32 F	Systemic lupus erythematosus	OU	6 months of corticosteroid	3 relapses on corticosteroid	Monthly IV cyclophosphamide for 7 months, no relapses while on therapy	Unknown	Unknown	OD:LP OS:20/15	OD:5/200 OS:20/200	Patient discontinued cyclophosphamide because she desired to become pregnant.
		42 F		OD	Unknown	Unknown	Azathioprine for 16 months, then monthly IV cyclophosphamide	Unknown	20 mg	OD:20/200	OD:20/40
Frohman LP	2001	51 F	Systemic lupus erythematosus	OU	5mg/2.5 mg and hydroxychloroquine 400 mg daily	Unknown	Methotrexate 15 mg weekly	Unknown	0 mg	OD:LP OS:20/70	OD:20/20 OS:20/20
Galindo-Rodriguez G	1999	41 F	Systemic lupus erythematosus	OU	100 mg for 2 months	Disease refractory to corticosteroid and/or oral immunosuppression	Cyclophosphamide 0.5–1.0 gm/m² IV on 2 consecutive days monthly. Mean duration 5 months	All patients had side effects: 7 patients with urinary tract infections, 3 patients with upper respiratory infections, 2 patients with herpes zoster infections, 1 patient with pneumonia, 4 patients with oral candidaisis, 5 patients with hair loss, 1 patient with cutaneous abcess.	Unknown	OD:20/40 OS:HM	OD:20/30 OS:20/30	Only 3 patients discontinued treatment and this was secondary to nausea and vomiting.
		35 F		OU	100 mg for 4 months					OD:CF OS:CF	OD:20/50 OS:20/100
		36 F		OU	60 mg for 8 months and azathioprine 150 mg for 9 months and cyclophosphamide by mouth for 12 months					OD:CF OS:CF	OD:20/50 OS:20/20
		18 F		OU	60 mg for 24 months and azathioprine 100 mg for 24 months and cyclophosphamide by mouth for 6 months					OD:NLP OS:CF	OD:CF OS:20/200
		44 F		OU	100 mg for 4 months and azathioprine 150 mg for 20 months and cyclophosphamide by mouth for 4 months					OD:CF OS:CF	OD:20/25 OS:20/30
		55 F		OU	100 mg for 2 months					OD:20/70 OS:20/70	OD:20/20 OS:20/20
		43 F		OU	100 mg for 2 months					OD:CF OS:CF	OD:20/60 OS:20/80
		17 F		OU	100 mg for 3 months and azathioprine 100 mg for 2 months					OD:CF OS:CF	OD:20/20 OS:20/25
		32 F		OU	150 mg for 4 months					OD:HM OS:20/40	OD:HM OS:20/60
		30 F		OU	60 mg for 1 month					OD:20/20 OS:20/25	OD:20/30 OS:20/40
Rosenbaum JT	1997	32 F	Systemic lupus erythematosus	OS	Unknown doses of corticosteroid and azathioprine	Unknown	IV cyclophosphamide for 28 months	Unknown	Unknown	OD: HM	OD: 20/20
		56 F		OD	Unknown dose		IV cyclophosphamide for 2 months			OD: LP	OD: 20/30
Maust HA	2003	35F	Sarcoidosis	OU	20–40 mg daily for 5 months	Insomnia, anxiety	Methotrexate 2.5–10 mg weekly for 30 months	Leukopenia in one patient	0 mg	OD:CF OS: 20/400	OD:20/50 OS: 20/20
		41F		OD	10–40 mg daily for 2 months	Hyperglycaemia	Methotrexate 2.5–10 mg weekly for 36 months		18 mg	OD: CF	OD: 20/30
		47F		OU	10–80 mg daily for 8 months	Mood swings, insomnia, weight gain, depression, alopecia	Methotrexate 7.5–15 mg weekly for 23 months		0 mg	OD: HM OS: 20/20	OD: NLP OS: 20/25
Bielory L	1991	48 F	Orbital pseudotumor	OS	Unknown dose	4 patients with weight gain, 2 patients with uncontrolled hyperglycaemia, 2 patients with hypertension	Cyclosporine A 2 mg/kg/day for an average of 16.5 months	Hypercholesterolaemia and hirsutism in unknown number of patients	Unclear	OS: 20/400	OS: 20/20	Weight gain, diabetes and hypertension resolved in all patients after corticosteroid dose was tapered.
		38 M	Sarcoidosis	OU						OD:20/20 OS: 20/25	“Normal acuity”
		56 F		OU						OD:20/200 OS:20/200	OD:CF OS:20/400
		25 M		OU						OD:20/40 OS:20/200	OD:20/30 OS:20/200
Gelwan MJ	1988	45 F	Sarcoidosis	OU	Unknown dose	Hypertension and diabetes	4500 cGy of radiation then azathioprine 800 mg daily for 8 months	Unknown	10 mg	OD:20/40 OS:20/100	OD:20/25 OS:20/20
		32 M		OU		Diabetes, cushingoid, glaucoma	4500 cGy of radiation then azathioprine 200 mg daily for 5 months	None	10 mg every other day	OD:20/40 OS:NLP	OD:20/60 OS:NLP	Diabetes and cushingoid features resolved
		20 M		OU		Cushingoid	4880 cGy of radiation then chlorambucil 6 mg daily for 6 months	Unknown	7.5 mg	OD:20/20 OS:20/200	OD:20/20 OS:CF	Poor compliance
Gressel MG	1983	21 F	Mixed connective tissue disease	OU	40 mg daily	Cushingoid	Azathioprine for 7 months, then oral cyclophosphamide 100 mg daily for 5 months then chlorambucil 4 mg daily	Hemorrhagic cystitis and leukopenia on cyclophos-phamide	Unknown	OD:20/40 OS:20/25	Unknown	Rapid progression despite treatment
Purvin A	1994	32 F	Neuroretinitis	OU	Unknown dose	Inefficacy	Azathioprine for 3 years	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	OD:20/20 OS:20/80	Recurrent attacks suppressed with azathioprine
Kupersmith MJ	1988	44 F	Autoimmune optic neuropathy	OD	100 mg daily for 12 months	Corticosteroid intolerance or inefficacy	Chlorambucil 6 mg daily for 6.5 years	None	“lower”	OD: LP OS: 20/20	OD: 20/25 OS: 20/20
		42 F		OU	100 mg daily for 4 months		Chlorambucil 6 mg daily for 6.5 years	None	“lower”	OD: NLP OS: LP	OD: NLP OS: 20/20
		26 F		OU	100 mg daily for 3 months		Cyclophosphamide 150 mg and Azathioprine 100 mg daily for 5.5 years	Pneumocystis pneumonia	“reduced”	ODHM OS: HM	OD: 20/25 OS: 20/25
		26 F		OU	100 mg daily for 1.5 months		Chlorambucil 6 mg and Azathioprine 75 mg daily for 6.5 years	Herpetic keratitis	“lower”	OD: CF OS: 20/300	OD: 20/25 OS: 20/300
		56 F		OD	Unknown dose		Azathioprine 125 mg daily for 6 months	None	30 mg	OD: 20/400 OS: 20/20	OD: 20/30 OS: 20/20
		47 F		OS	20 mg daily for 1 months		Azathioprine 50 mg daily for 1 week	None	60 mg	OD: 20/20 OS: 20/400	OD: 20/20 OS: 20/40	Patient refused treatment after one week.
		45 M		OU	60 mg daily for 1 months		Chlorambucil 8 mg daily for 18 months	None	5 mg	OD: LP OS: NLP	OD: 20/50 OS: LP
							Azathioprine 200 mg daily
							Chlorambucil 6 mg daily for over three years
		27 F		OU	80 mg daily for 1 months		Chlorambucil 6 mg daily for 18 months	Agranulocytosis and sepsis	10 mg	OD: 20/60 OS: NLP	OD: 20/20 OS: CF	Chlorambucil disontinued because of episode of sepsis.
							Azathioprine 200 mg daily for 4 years	None
Dutton JJ	1982	44 F	Autoimmune retrobulbar optic neuritis	OU	Unknown dose	Unknown	Chlorambucil 6 mg daily for 2 years	Unknown	0 mg	OD:20/80 OS:20/25	OD:20/20 OS:20/20
		26 F		OU		Cushingoid, depression	Chlorambucil 6 mg daily and azathioprine 75 mg daily for 1 year			OD:CF OS:CF	OD:20/30 OS:20/300
		42 F		OD		Unknown	Chlorambucil 6 mg daily for 6 months			LP	20/20