Title: Amaurosis Fugax - Symptoms and Causes
Headings: What is Amaurosis Fugax?
What is Amaurosis Fugax?
Definition
Alternative Names
Causes
Symptoms
Exams and Tests
Treatment
Outlook (Prognosis)
When to Contact a Medical Professional
References
Version Info

Content: Instead, it is a sign of other disorders. Amaurosis fugax can occur from different causes. One cause is when a blood clot or a piece of plaque blocks an artery in the eye. The blood clot or plaque usually travels from a larger artery, such as the carotid artery in the neck or an artery in the heart, to an artery in the eye. Plaque is a hard substance that forms when fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up in the walls of arteries. Risk factors include: Heart disease, especially irregular heartbeat
Alcohol abuse
Cocaine use
Diabetes
Family history of stroke
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Increasing age
Smoking (people who smoke one pack a day double their risk for a stroke)
Amaurosis fugax can also occur because of other disorders such as: Other eye problems, such as inflammation of the optic nerve (optic neuritis)
Blood vessel disease called polyarteritis nodosa
Migraine headaches
Brain tumor
Head injury
Multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammation of the nerves due to the body's immune cells attacking the nervous system
Systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune cells attack healthy tissue throughout the body
Symptoms
Symptoms include the sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes. This usually lasts for a few seconds to several minutes. Afterward, vision returns to normal.