Spotlight: Devic's Disease

Devic's Disease, also known as Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) or Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), is an autoimmune condition where the immune system damages the spinal cord and the nerves in the eyes. Across Europe, its prevalence is thought be around one in 100,000, which translates to about 700 people in the UK. It occurs at any age, affecting women significantly more than men, and it may also be more prevalent in some ethnic groups, although it is not hereditary or infectious. Eugene Devic was a French physician who, in 1894, described a condition that he called an ‘acut...