By Steven Reinberg MONDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Using a
high-tech imaging process to measure the thickness of the eye's
retina may one day predict the progression of multiple
sclerosis, a new study suggests. The finding might lead to
better ways to judge the effectiveness of treatments because
different parts of the retina seem to indicate different aspects
of the disease and the toll it takes on different parts of the
brain, the researchers said. The report was published online
Oct. 1 in the Archives of Neurology. Multiple sclerosis is
thought to be an autoimmune disease that attacks the central
nervous system, which consists of the brain, the spinal cord and
optic nerves. Symptoms range from mild effects, such as numbness
in the limbs, to severe, such as paralysis or blindness. "In
treating multiple sclerosis we have been tremendously successful
in reducing the number of attacks," said Dr. Ari Green,
assistant clinical director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at
the University of California, San Fran