Eye conditions and disease

How To Cure Temporary Blindness

 
Nidhi Nangia
By Nidhi Nangia. Updated: April 9, 2020
How To Cure Temporary Blindness

Temporary blindness is the condition in which a person experiences sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes. The distinction of temporary blindness is that it can be corrected to return to normal healthy vision. Perfect vision is 20/20 and legal blindness is declared if a person has less than 20/200 vision. The blindness can be partial or total, in one eye or both. Certain health conditions may lead to temporary blindness, partial or total, in one or both eyes. Getting information about the possible causes of temporary blindness can be helpful in understanding the condition and determining the best treatment for restoring vision. If left ignored, temporary blindness can turn into permanent blindness. Read this oneHOWTO article to find out the different causes of the condition and how to cure temporary blindness.

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Contents

  1. Amaurosis fugax
  2. Diabetic retinopathy
  3. Cataracts
  4. Reduced blood flow
  5. Detached retina
  6. Ocular migraine
  7. Giant cell arteritis

Amaurosis fugax

This condition refers to temporary vision loss usually in one eye, but can occur in both. It usually lasts only for a few seconds or minutes. The condition is also termed as episodic blindness. If you experience sudden loss of vision in one eye, consider it as an emergency and take it as a warning sign of something serious happening in your body.

When this happens, it appears as if a curtain or shade has been pulled over your affected eye. You may still be able to clearly see with the other eye. If this happens, don’t forget to inform your ophthalmologist even if you restore your vision completely within a few minutes. The professional expert will find out the cause of your episodic blindness with the help of blood tests, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI and echocardiogram. After this they can plan your treatment accordingly.

Diabetic retinopathy

People with diabetes have higher risk of developing certain eye diseases. One such disease is diabetic retinopathy that triggers growth of new blood vessels on your retina. These new blood vessels are fragile, often breaking and leaking fluids. If the leaking fluid comes in contact with the retinal layer, the blood mixes with your vitreous (a jelly like substance filling the back of your eye). A significant leak of fluids may cloud your vision, resulting in temporary vision loss.

Ophthalmologists use laser therapy to stop fluid leakage and growth of these new blood vessels. However, if your vitreous is clouded with leaking fluids, the doctor may not be able to see inside your eye. In that case, a treatment procedure called vitrectomy is used which aims at removing cloudy vitreous from your eye and replacing it with clear liquid. Once your vision is made clear with a vitrectomy, laser therapy can be conducted to prevent growth of new blood vessels on your retina.

Cataracts

Your eye has a natural lens inside it just near the front. This lens is used to focus light on the back of your eye and plays an important role in how well you can see. As you age, this lens becomes yellow and hard. It restricts your lens’ ability to focus on things. This hard growth is called a cataract. During the initial stages of cataracts, certain prescription changes to your glasses may be enough to compensate for the changes taking place in the lens. But over time, it causes significant change to your vision and the loss may not be able to be corrected with eye glasses.

A person suffering from cataracts will find it difficult to read, watch TV and perform everyday tasks. If proper treatment is not given, the cataract may develop drastically and lead to blindness in the eye. According to the WHO, 48% of blindness cases across the globe are caused due to cataracts alone. A surgical procedure may be required to remove cataracts from the eye and restore vision. But this surgery is successful only if the overall health of the eye is good and there are no secondary issues.

Reduced blood flow

Temporary vision loss is most commonly caused due to reduced flow of blood to the eye. There are large blood vessels on the sides of your neck. These blood vessels bring blood to your brain and eyes from the heart. Plaque is a fatty deposit that tends to build up in these blood vessels and ultimately narrows them down. Sometimes, pieces of these fatty deposits break off from the walls of your blood vessels and block flow of blood to an eye. If your blood vessels are too narrow or blocked, the condition causes temporary blindness.

High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking also make your blood vessels narrow. Combined they can increase your chances of having temporary blindness. Blood thinners or aspirin may be recommended to prevent blood clotting. Management of sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels in your body is also important to prevent the condition. Quit smoking as soon as possible to minimize chances of blockage in your blood vessels. If the blood vessels in your neck get seriously blocked, surgery might be required to remove them.

How To Cure Temporary Blindness - Reduced blood flow

Detached retina

The lining at the back of your eye is the retina. It is a sensitive layer made up of tissue and is responsible for passing on visual information to your optic nerve. Ultimately, the optic nerve sends this information to your brain and you are able to see. If the retina gets detached from your optic nerve, the visual cues are no longer transmitted to the brain and you only see a dark curtain over your eye. Detached retinas can be caused by trauma (such as a fight or a fall). However, lifestyle habits, genetic predisposition and certain diseases such as glaucoma can increase the likelihood of it occurring.

If the retina is still attached with only a portion of it detached, you will see a small area of black spot. But if it has detached completely, you will see everything in black. If immediate treatment is not sought, the detachment may become permanent and you may end up being completely blind for life. Immediate surgery is required to reattach the retina to the optic nerve and restore a person’s lost vision to the greatest extent.

Ocular migraine

Patients suffering from ocular migraine often complain of losing vision in one eye for a few minutes. This happens during or after a migraine attack. These attacks may also cause other problems in your vision, such as flashing lights, blind spots and aura in both eyes. Temporary blindness caused by ocular migraine usually goes away within 30 minutes and often does not necessarily require any treatment. But when you experience this, stop whatever you are doing and give rest to your eyes until you restore your vision.

If you are having a headache, take a pain reliever recommended to you by your doctor. Drugs prescribed to keep ocular migraine under control include epilepsy drugs like sodium, tricyclic antidepressants like nortriptyline and blood pressure medicines like beta blockers.

Giant cell arteritis

Giant cell arteritis is a condition in which blood vessels become inflamed and lead to vision problems, even temporary or permanent blindness. In this condition, vision problems are also accompanied by scalp tenderness, headache and jaw pain. If you leave it unattended, it may lead to blindness or stroke.

Treatment with corticosteroids can be helpful in relieving symptoms of giant cell arteritis and prevent vision loss. You start feeling better within a few days, but relapse is quite common even after treatment. For this reason, you will need to visit your physician regularly for timely checkups, monitoring and treatment.

As these conditions go to show, temporary vision loss is treatable, depending on the reason for its occurrence. However, not treating or diagnosing the problem in the first place can also lead to permanent blindness. If you do experience any loss of vision, there will be a reason behind it. Whether this requires lifestyle change or some sort of medical intervention, you should seek a physician's advice regardless.

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to How To Cure Temporary Blindness, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.

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