What is the Difference Between Papillitis and Papilloedema?

Papillitis and papilledema are both conditions that affect the optic nerve head or optic disk, but they have distinct differences:

1. Cause: Papillitis is the inflammation and deterioration of the optic nerve head or optic disk, while papilledema is the swelling of the optic nerve head or optic disk due to increased intracranial pressure.
2. Bilaterality: Papillitis may be unilateral, meaning it affects only one eye, whereas papilledema is almost always bilateral, affecting both eyes.
3. Visual Acuity and Color Vision: Papillitis can cause a greater decrease in visual acuity and color vision compared to papilledema.
4. Central Scotoma: The presence of a central scotoma, a blind spot in the visual field, is a characteristic of papillitis but not papilledema.
5. Afferent Pupillary Defect: Papillitis can be differentiated from papilledema by an afferent pupillary defect, also known as a Marcus Gunn pupil, which is a relative afferent pupillary defect that occurs when a swinging flashlight test is performed.
6. Sudden vs. Gradual Vision Loss: Papillitis causes sudden vision loss, whereas papilledema causes gradual vision loss.

In summary, papillitis is an inflammation of the optic nerve head or optic disk, while papilledema is a swelling of the optic nerve head or optic disk due to increased intracranial pressure. Papillitis typically affects one eye and causes a greater decrease in visual acuity and color vision, while papilledema often affects both eyes and results in gradual vision loss.

Comparative Table: Papillitis vs Papilloedema

Here is a table comparing the differences between papillitis and papilloedema:

In summary, papillitis is characterized by inflammation and deterioration of the optic nerve head or optic disk, while papilloedema is characterized by the swelling of the optic nerve head or optic disc due to increased intracranial pressure. Papillitis typically causes sudden vision loss, whereas papilloedema causes gradual vision loss.