Papillitis

Papillitis is the term for a specific type of optic neuritis. If ocular inflammation is restricted to the optic nerve head the condition is called papillitis (or intraocular optic neuritis), and if it is located in the orbital portion of the nerve it is called retrobulbar optic neuritis (or orbital optic neuritis).

Papilledema, a bulging of the optic disc, is a consequence of elevated intracranial pressure. There are some important differences between papillitis and papilledema, notably, that papillitis is more often associated with substantial losses in visual fields, pain on moving the globe, and sensitivity to light pressure on the globe. Papillitis is often an early sign of multiple sclerosis.