Title: Causes of Temporary Blindness and Short-Term Vision Loss
Headings: Temporary Blindness and Short-Term Vision Loss
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Temporary Blindness and Short-Term Vision Loss
In this Article
Sudden Total or Near-Total Vision Loss
Continued
Temporary, Partial Vision Loss

Content: Causes of Temporary Blindness and Short-Term Vision Loss
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Temporary Blindness and Short-Term Vision Loss
Reviewed by Whitney Seltman on December 08, 2020
In this Article
Sudden Total or Near-Total Vision Loss
Temporary, Partial Vision Loss
Rare Causes
You can temporarily lose your vision, totally or partially, due to another condition. The possible causes and what you should do depend on whether you can see at all. If you have sudden total, or near-total, vision loss, it’s an emergency. You need to call 911, see your eye doctor or maybe even a specialty ophthalmologist immediately, or go to an ER right away, because you have a short window of time to get it diagnosed and treated. Don’t wait to see if it goes away. If you have partial vision loss, a migraine is the most likely reason. But there are other, less common, causes that need prompt treatment to save your sight. You’ll want to know what the causes are and what to do if it happens. Sudden Total or Near-Total Vision Loss
It can happen if a clot creates a blockage in your retinal artery. Your doctor may call it “central retinal artery occlusion ” or “branch retinal artery occlusion.”