Vision loss whether acute or chronic is a common presenting complaint to the ED. This will be the first in a series of pearls on the subject. This pearl will address the nomenclature used by ophthalmology based on the length of vision loss.
• Transient visual obscuration - Episodes lasting seconds. Usually associated with papilledema and increased intracranial pressure. • Amaurosis fugax - Brief, fleeting attack of monocular partial or total blindness that lasts seconds to minutes • Transient monocular visual loss or transient monocular blindness - A more persistent vision loss that lasts minutes or longer • Transient bilateral visual loss - Episodes affecting one or both eyes or both cerebral hemispheres and causing visual loss • Ocular infarction - Persistent ischemic damage to the eye, resulting in permanent vision loss
References
Farino GA, Feliciano A, Lorenzo NY. Sudden Visual Loss. eMedicine. Accessed November 27, 2009.
Hedges TR. The terminology of transient visual loss due to vascular insufficiency. Stroke. Sep-Oct 1984;15(5):907-8.
