Sarcoidosis in chest and eyes

[AnneMay]

I have a confirmed diagnosis of sarcoidosis in my right lung and lymph nodes in my chest. My question is: Would sarcoidosis of the eye cause the root of the optic nerve to swell?
I was at the eye doctors and was told that the root of my optic nerve was very swollen which speaks of swelling in the brain. The doctor left without faxing info to my pulmonolgist and PCP as he said he would and there is only a short note in my file. I am worried to say the least and would like to know if I should be racing off to the doctor and if this could be just another thing I have to deal with, with having sarcardosis. Thank you for your time. Annemarie

[John Kenyon, CNA]

Hi there -

Sarcoidosis can involve the eyes and one type of involvement can cause swelling of the optic nerve with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) so yes, this could be related to sarcoidosis and should be checked ASAP. If it is due to sarcoidosis the outcome, with prompt and correct treatment, is usually pretty good, so the prognois should be promising. However, there is always the Awful Coincidence Phenomenon to consider, wherein more than one thing is going on at the same time -- and there's no rule against having more than one problem at once.

If sarcoidosis is ruled out I hope your doctor will aggressively pursue the cause of the swelling, as there are a number of serious problems that can also cause this, and while they are generally manageable, it only works if the cause can be discovered.

I hope this is helpful. Please follow up with us as needed and also keep us updated as to anything new. Good luck to you.