| Acute visual loss | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Acute vision loss |
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| A Snellen chart, which is frequently used for visual acuity testing | |
Acute visual loss is a rapid loss of the ability to see. It is caused by many ocular conditions like retinal detachment, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and giant cell arteritis, etc.
Retinal detachment should be considered if there were preceding flashes or floaters, or if there is a new visual field defect in one eye. [2] [3] If treated early enough, retinal tear and detachment can have a good outcome. [2]
Angle-closure glaucoma should be considered if there is painful loss of vision with a red eye, nausea or vomiting. [4] The eye pressure will be very high typically greater than 40 mmHg. [5] Emergent laser treatment to the iris may prevent blindness. [4]
Wet macular degeneration should be considered in older people with new distortion of their vision with bleeding in the macula. [6] [7] Vision can often be regained with prompt eye injections with anti-VEGF agents. [6]
Giant cell arteritis should be considered in an older person with jaw claudication, temporal pain, and tiredness. [8] Placing the person on steroids might save both their vision and decrease their risk of stroke. [9] Without treatment a person can quickly go blind in both eyes. [10]
It is one of the most common causes of acute or subacute decrease in vision. [15]
Blood in the anterior chamber of the eye is known as hyphema. Severe hyphema covering pupillary area can cause sudden decrease in vision.
Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also called temporal arteritis, is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of large blood vessels. Symptoms may include headache, pain over the temples, flu-like symptoms, double vision, and difficulty opening the mouth. Complication can include blockage of the artery to the eye with resulting blindness, as well as aortic dissection, and aortic aneurysm. GCA is frequently associated with polymyalgia rheumatica.
Macular edema occurs when fluid and protein deposits collect on or under the macula of the eye and causes it to thicken and swell (edema). The swelling may distort a person's central vision, because the macula holds tightly packed cones that provide sharp, clear, central vision to enable a person to see detail, form, and color that is directly in the centre of the field of view.
Amaurosis fugax is a painless temporary loss of vision in one or both eyes.
This is a partial list of human eye diseases and disorders.
The visual field is the "spatial array of visual sensations available to observation in introspectionist psychological experiments". Or simply, visual field can be defined as the entire area that can be seen when an eye is fixed straight at a point.
The central retinal artery branches off the ophthalmic artery, running inferior to the optic nerve within its dural sheath to the eyeball.
Neovascularization is the natural formation of new blood vessels, usually in the form of functional microvascular networks, capable of perfusion by red blood cells, that form to serve as collateral circulation in response to local poor perfusion or ischemia.
Optic neuropathy is damage to the optic nerve from any cause. The optic nerve is a bundle of millions of fibers in the retina that sends visual signals to the brain. [1].
Ocular ischemic syndrome is the constellation of ocular signs and symptoms secondary to severe, chronic arterial hypoperfusion to the eye. Amaurosis fugax is a form of acute vision loss caused by reduced blood flow to the eye; it may be a warning sign of an impending stroke, as both stroke and retinal artery occlusion can be caused by thromboembolism due to atherosclerosis elsewhere in the body. Consequently, those with transient blurring of vision are advised to urgently seek medical attention for a thorough evaluation of the carotid artery. Anterior segment ischemic syndrome is a similar ischemic condition of anterior segment usually seen in post-surgical cases. Retinal artery occlusion leads to rapid death of retinal cells, thereby resulting in severe loss of vision.
Cotton wool spots are opaque fluffy white patches on the retina of the eye that are considered an abnormal finding during a funduscopic exam. Cotton wool spots are typically a sign of another disease state, most common of which is diabetic retinopathy. The irregularly shaped white patches are a result of ischemia, or reduced blood flow and oxygen, in the retinal nerve fiber layer, which is located in the distribution of the capillaries of the superficial layer of the retina. These areas with reduced blood flow reflect the obstruction of axoplasmic flow due to mechanical or vascular causes and the consequential accumulation as a result of decreased axonal transport. This reduced axonal transport can then cause swelling or bulging on the surface layer of the retina, increasing the potential for nerve fiber damage.
Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a disease of the eye where the flow of blood through the central retinal artery is blocked (occluded). There are several different causes of this occlusion; the most common is carotid artery atherosclerosis.
Blurred vision is an ocular symptom where vision becomes less precise and there is added difficulty to resolve fine details.
Central retinal vein occlusion, also CRVO, is when the central retinal vein becomes occluded, usually through thrombosis. The central retinal vein is the venous equivalent of the central retinal artery and both may become occluded. Since the central retinal artery and vein are the sole source of blood supply and drainage for the retina, such occlusion can lead to severe damage to the retina and blindness, due to ischemia and edema (swelling).
Intraocular hemorrhage is a bleeding (hemorrhage) inside the eye. The bleeding can occur from any structure of the eye where there is a presence of vasculature or blood flow. It can bleed inside the anterior chamber, vitreous cavity, retina, choroid, suprachoroidal space, or optic disc. Intraocular hemorrhage can be subdivided depending on the location of the bleed. It may be the result of physical trauma, an uncommon side effect due to post op ocular surgery or other diseases, injuries or disorders. Severe bleeding may cause high pressures inside the eye, leading to blindness.
Vitreous hemorrhage is the extravasation, or leakage, of blood into the areas in and around the vitreous humor of the eye. The vitreous humor is the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina of the eye. A variety of conditions can result in blood leaking into the vitreous humor, which can cause impaired vision, floaters, and photopsia.
Branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) is a rare retinal vascular disorder in which one of the branches of the central retinal artery is obstructed.
Branch retinal vein occlusion is a common retinal vascular disease of the elderly. It is caused by the occlusion of one of the branches of central retinal vein.
Built in the heart of the Quinze-Vingts National Eye Hospital in Paris, France, the Vision Institute is one of the most important research centers in Europe on eye diseases.
Faricimab, sold under the brand name Vabysmo, is a monoclonal antibody used for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Faricimab is the first bispecific monoclonal antibody, to target both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2) inhibitor. By targeting these pathways, faricimab stabilizes blood vessels in the retina. It is given by intravitreal injection by an ophthalmologist.
Sickle cell retinopathy can be defined as retinal changes due to blood vessel damage in the eye of a person with a background of sickle cell disease. It can likely progress to loss of vision in late stages due to vitreous hemorrhage or retinal detachment. Sickle cell disease is a structural red blood cell disorder leading to consequences in multiple systems. It is characterized by chronic red blood cell destruction, vascular injury, and tissue ischemia causing damage to the brain, eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen, and musculoskeletal system.
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