What is amaurosis fugax?

 Amaurosis fugax is a temporary blindness in 1 eye that’s caused by a lack of blood flow to the blood vessels that supply the eye. 

What is amaurosis fugax? {#overview}

What are the symptoms of amaurosis fugax? {#symptoms}

How is amaurosis fugax treated? {#treatment}

## What is amaurosis fugax? {#overview}
Amaurosis fugax is a temporary loss of vision that can affect 1 or both eyes. It usually doesn’t last long – sometimes only seconds – and it’s also known as transient or temporary visual loss, and transient monocular visual loss. 

Amaurosis fugax is most often caused by a blockage in a blood vessel that takes blood to your eye, but it can also be caused by other things, including a migraine, or a problem with your eye itself. 

It can be a symptom of a transient ischaemic attack (TIA; mini stroke) – which is a warning sign of a stroke. So if you think you have amaurosis fugax, see a doctor as soon as possible. 

## What are the symptoms of amaurosis fugax? {#symptoms}
If you have amaurosis fugax, you’ll usually have vision problems in 1 eye, but it can sometimes affect both eyes at the same time. The visual changes you have may include mild blurring, fogginess or complete blackness – in all or just a part of your eye. 

These symptoms usually last up to 15 minutes – it’s rare for them to last longer than an hour.

If your amaurosis fugax is caused by a TIA, you may also have other symptoms like:

- problems speaking
- drooping of 1 side of your face
- arm or leg weakness on 1 side of your body


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## How is amaurosis fugax treated? {#treatment}
The treatment you’ll need will usually depend on the cause of your amaurosis fugax. If it’s a blockage in a blood vessel, you’ll have some tests to find out where the blockage is or where it came from. If there’s an underlying condition that’s caused it, you’ll need treatment for this. 

Amaurosis fugax may include:

- blood-thinning medication
- a surgical procedure to remove the clot, called a carotid endarterectomy
- medications to lower your blood pressure or cholesterol 


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References

Dr Adiele Hoffman

Dr Lauretta Ihonor

Dr Ann Nainan

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Amaurosis fugax is a temporary loss of vision that usually affects 1 eye for up to 15 minutes. It’s caused by several things. Find out what they are, the symptoms of amaurosis fugax and how to treat it. 