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Glite Dictionary
retrobulbar neuritis

retrobulbar neuritis

8.7
Swelling of the nerve behind the eye that causes eye pain and sudden vision loss
  • noun
  • /ˌrɛtroʊˈbʌlbər njuˈraɪtɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : neuritis retrobulbar
  • Multiple sclerosis is a common cause of retrobulbar neuritis, leading to impaired vision and pain.

Examples

  • Treatment of retrobulbar neuritis typically involves corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and preserve eyesight.

  • Optical tests confirmed the diagnosis of retrobulbar neuritis in the patient with sudden vision loss.

  • The doctor diagnosed her with retrobulbar neuritis after her symptoms worsened.

  • Have you heard about retrobulbar neuritis?

  • Multiple sclerosis is a common cause of retrobulbar neuritis, leading to impaired vision and pain.

  • Optical tests confirmed the diagnosis of retrobulbar neuritis in the patient with sudden vision loss.

  • Treatment of retrobulbar neuritis typically involves corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and preserve eyesight.

Surface Forms

retrobulbar neuritis singular
retrobulbar neuritides plural

Morphology

retrobulbar + neuritis

Both constituents directly contribute to the overall meaning: 'retrobulbar' means located behind the eyeball and 'neuritis' means nerve inflammation, so the compound denotes inflammation of a nerve situated behind the eye. This is a regular biomedical compound pattern (modifier + -itis) and would be immediately derivable by a learner who already knows both parts.

Etymology

The medical term retrobulbar neuritis is made of parts: retro means 'behind', bulbar means 'eye', and neuritis means 'inflamed nerve'. So it literally names an inflamed nerve behind the eye, which is why the phrase means that eye condition that can cause pain and trouble seeing.