Kapoor 1998.

Methods	Method of randomization: “Randomized” (method not specified) Number randomized: 66 Exclusions after randomization: None Losses to follow up: 2 at last follow up (6 months) Method of allocation concealment: “Randomization was coordinated by the Hospitalpharmacy and the coding was not accessible to clinicians or patients taking part in thestudy until the data came to analysis” (Personal communication) Participant masking: YesProvider masking: YesOutcome assessor masking: Yes Intention to treat analysis: No
Participants	Country and period of study: United Kingdom (March 1991 to June 1994) Age: 18 to 50 Sex: Short lesions: Overall, 74% were female
Interventions	Treatment: Intravenous methylprednisolone (1 g/day given as a single bolus) for 3 days Control: Intravenous saline for 3 days
Outcomes	Visual acuity Contrast sensitivity (measured using circular patches of luminance modulated vertical sinewave gratings) Visual field (Humphrey automatic perimetry using 30-2 protocol)
Notes	Follow up at 4, 8 weeks and 6 months
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Method of sequence generation was not reported
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Method of allocation concealment was not reported
Masking (performance bias and detection bias)	Unclear risk	“Patients in either subgroup were randomized double blind to receive IV saline or IVMP”; but specific details of masking was not reported
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	“Sixty-four of 66 patients completed 6 months' clinical follow-up (33 treated, 31 placebo)” “The MRI was repeated after 6 months in 61 of 66 patients” “VEPs were repeated after 6 months in 43 of 66 cases”
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Outcomes reported were described in the methods section, though we did not have access to the original study protocol
Other bias	Unclear risk	“Because treatment did not appear to influence outcome, some of the results obtained in the treated and placebo groups were analyzed together”