Amaurosis Fugax
AF can be a harbringer of impending stroke and thus merits urgent evaluation - EyeWiki
image by: Art by Gary Kennedy
HWN Suggests
Retinal TIAs: A Medical Emergency
Many ophthalmologists consider retinal TIA (transient ischemic attack), or amaurosis fugax, to be a relatively benign condition that carries a low risk of stroke. But transient monocular vision loss (TMVL) of vascular origin has the same mechanisms and causes as cerebral ischemia—and, unfortunately, the same systemic implications.
Moreover, new evidence is challenging the old teaching that retinal TIAs have a better prognosis than hemispheric/cerebral TIAs, highlighting the need to treat the conditions with equal urgency.
In other words, retinal TIAs need to be taken as seriously as cerebral TIAs are, as they carry a high risk of stroke and cardiac events—and their occurrence…
Resources
A Medical Mystery Posed by Blurred Lanes
How did I wind up with a diagnosis of strabismus in adulthood?
A Workup Protocol for Transient Vision Loss
When a patient experiences unprovoked TMVL, the examiner should ask if the patient also experienced brief flashes of light, stationary flickering of light, zigzag lines, colored lights or geometric shapes. TMVL accompanied by these visual phenomena can be due to a migraine, especially if typical features of a migraine are present.
Amaurosis Fugax 2/5/2019
We presented a case of a 63yo M with 30-pk-yr tobacco use, HTN, HLD, and prior CVD 7 months ago presenting with acute onset vision loss of the left eye, described as “seeing through a black mesh with spots of clear vision.” His symptom lasted for 2 hours before gradually resolving on its own.
Focus on Eyes: Transient vision loss
Individuals can experience a transient loss of vision for a variety of reasons; some serious, some minor. Depending on the circumstances that launched the vision loss, the condition can last for a few seconds, several minutes or an hour. Causes of transient vision loss include a swollen optic nerve, decreased blood flow to the eye (amaurosis fugax), migraine headaches (classic or ocular), inflamed arteries (arteritis) and strokes.
Non-Traumatic Monocular Vision Loss
Sudden and transient visual loss or transient blurring or obscuration of vision, with normal recovery of vision after the episode. Can be all the visual field or just part of the visual field
Suddenly the Man Couldn’t See. Was His Chest Pain Connected?
It was one of the arteries supplying blood to the fovea, the part of the retina providing the clearest vision. The irregularities come from tiny clots that starved the tissues of needed blood — a stroke in the eye. This, Wang said, was why the man couldn’t see.
What Causes Transient Vision Loss?
Transient vision loss in adults is a common complaint with an identified etiology in the majority of instances. The loss of vision may be unilateral or bilateral, and it can last anywhere from a few seconds to many hours.
‘A shimmering spectrum of colour’ – the pain and beauty of retinal migraines
This rare migraine condition causes brief episodes of disturbances in one eye. Here, sufferers reveal what it is like.
Retinal TIAs: A Medical Emergency
In other words, retinal TIAs need to be taken as seriously as cerebral TIAs are, as they carry a high risk of stroke and cardiac events—and their occurrence calls for immediate evaluation and, when required, urgent referral.
EyeWiki
Amaurosis fugax (AF) refers to transient vision loss (TVL). AF can either be monocular (TMVL) or binocular (TBVL). It most commonly occurs monocularly, secondary to ischemia in the retina, choroid, or optic nerve. The most common cause of TMVL is an ipsilateral carotid artery disease (e.g., internal carotid artery dissection or atherosclerosis) with secondary thromboemboli, but it can also be a symptom of vasculitis (e.g., giant cell arteritis). AF can be a harbringer of impending stroke and thus merits urgent evaluation. TBVL is less common than TMVL and may be due to cortical lesions (e.g. migraine, seizure, or vertebrobasilar ischemia).
StatPearls
The term amaurosis fugax is often used interchangeably to describe transient visual loss (TVL). However, it is employed widely in medicine to refer to any cause of transient monocular visual loss. Amaurosis fugax is a harbinger of an imminent stroke.
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