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by  Dr. Robert Scharfman  8 Comments

Temporary Blindness in One Eye (Amaurosis Fugax)

Amaurosis Fugax is a strange sounding name for a temporary loss of vision in one eye. The vision loss is sudden and usually recovers over a period of minutes. It is painless and not associated with any other symptoms.

Causes of Temporary Blindness in One Eye

Temporary blindness occurs because the blood supply to the eye is reduced or temporarily blocked. It is a transient ischemic attack of the eye or TIA.

Common risk factors include:

  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol

Temporary Blindness Linked to Silent Strokes

Recent studies have shown that 25% of people who experience Amaurosis Fugax have also had a silent stroke.

Even more alarming is that about 15% of people who experience a TIA will go on to have a stroke affecting the brain within the next three months, having the potential to cause paralysis or death. Fortunately with treatment, many of these strokes can be avoided.

Sudden Blindness is an Emergency!

The most important thing to remember is that sudden blindness is always an eye emergency! Therefore, make an appointment with your eye doctor if you ever experience Amaurosis Fugax.

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Filed Under: Serious Eye Problems

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Braden Bills says

    July 27, 2020 at 11:18 am

    I’ve been having a hard time seeing out of one of my eyes, and I’m not sure what to do about it. It makes sense that there are a few things that could be causing this! I should definitely talk to a professional to see if they can help me out with it.

    Reply
  2. Tyler Johnson says

    August 6, 2020 at 1:06 pm

    I agree that having one eye go blind for a while would be an emergency. I could see how that would be a sign of a much bigger issue, as well as give you problems with your vision. I should make sure I see an eye doctor right away if I ever have a problem seeing out of one of my eyes.

    Reply
  3. Steve M says

    September 2, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    I experienced this very thing today. At work just prior to leaving, I had a gradual loss of vision in one eye. It was the scariest feeling, knowing that I am truly not able to see and wondering what was coming next. In about 5 minutes my sight started to return. I went to the ER where I was cleared to go home after several tests and I am going to follow up with a neurologist. I was told to take 81 milligrams of aspirin until I meet with the doc.

    Reply
    • GGF says

      February 15, 2021 at 10:45 pm

      Any updates?

      Reply
    • Jennifer says

      March 28, 2021 at 2:53 pm

      Any updates .. I had this happen to
      Me the other day

      Reply
  4. Christine says

    April 8, 2022 at 5:32 pm

    I had this happen to me too. I had sudden vision loss in my left eye with bright lights first then it went black except for the top half of my line of sight. It only lasted a few seconds but it was very scary. I had a complete eye exam the next day and they said my eyes are fine. I have to go for a carotid artery test on Monday.
    I’m really scared 😨
    Anyone else experienced this issue and what was your resolution.

    Reply
    • Karmen says

      April 14, 2022 at 1:19 pm

      It happened to me 5 years ago. Do not panic. I was told its unknown why happens. But I did some research on my own and I found out they could be silent stroke mini stroke.comes back in less than 5 minutes there’s nothing to worry about. Otherwise it’s dangerous. Also stop drinking anything including coffee that constrict the blood supply to the eye

      Reply
    • Bonnie says

      June 23, 2022 at 1:08 pm

      Happened to me also. I lost sight in my left eye. I could see out of the upper half. Cleared up within 15 minutes. Had an MRI done and it showed nothing. But… I had Covid three weeks before, for some reason I keep thinking this was a side effect.

      Reply

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