What is autoimmunity?
Humans would not live long if their immune system was not working properly. Constantly, our immune system is fighting off bacteria and viruses. Sometimes, our immune system can incorrectly identify normal self tissue as foreign. When this occurs, the immune system mounts an immune response against the self tissue. This can cause inflammation and damage to the tissue. What causes optic neuritis? Optic neuritis is inflammation of the optic nerve. This inflammation is a result of autoimmunity against the optic nerve. Specifically, the immune system mounts a response against the myelin of the optic nerve. Myelin is a covering of the nerve that is important in the functioning of the nerve. Just what triggers this immune response is not fully understood.
