Medical problems like glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss over time. However, other conditions can cause temporary vision loss. Temporary vision loss can be equally distressing to sufferers. If you experience any kind of drastic, sudden vision loss, it's important that you see your eye doctor at once. Here are four common causes of temporary vision loss, which your eye doctor can treat:
1. Migraines
Migraines are severe headaches that can cause uncomfortable side effects throughout your whole body. It's not uncommon for people with migraines to experience nausea, dizziness, and extreme sensitivity to light during a migraine. However, ocular migraines can even cause vision loss. The vision loss that accompanies an ocular migraine usually isn't total. It may only affect one of your eyes. The symptoms should subside when your migraine does, but it's still important to get evaluated by an eye doctor just in case.
2. Eye Infection
An eye infection can cause temporary vision loss. When you suffer from an eye infection, your eye may produce a lot of discharge as your body combats the infection with white blood cells. This discharge can cause blurry vision. Ocular inflammation can also cause blurry vision. Vision loss due to bacterial eye infections can be treated with antibiotics. It's important that you begin treatment as soon as possible, since eye infections can cause irreversible damage if allowed to persist unchecked.
3. Clogged Retinal Artery
Your eyes are complex systems supported by many nerves, arteries, veins, and blood vessels. Your retinal artery has a very important job. It carries blood to the veins that supply your entire eye. Under ordinary circumstances, blood flows through your retinal artery unimpeded. If a blood clot forms, it may clog the artery. This clog puts pressure on the arterial walls, which can lead to a temporary loss of vision. Your eye doctor will be able to diagnose a clogged retinal artery by dilating your eyes to perform a thorough examination of the back of your eye. Once the problem is diagnosed, it can be resolved using either medication or surgery.
4. Constriction Of Retinal Blood Vessels
Blood must pass freely through your eyes in order to keep them functioning as they should. Some people experience a sudden constriction of one of the blood vessels in their eyes, a phenomenon known as a retinal vasospasm. If this is the cause of your vision loss, your eye doctor can reverse it with a blood thinning medication.