What is Amaurosis Fugax : Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Amaurosis Fugax is a kind of disease in which a person loses his vision on one or both the eyes temporarily for a few seconds to several minutes. This condition mainly occurs either due to an insufficient blood flow or a blood clot in the blood vessel of the eye of the patient. Amaurosis Fugax is also called as transient monocular visual loss, transient monocular blindness, or a temporary vision loss.

The patient may feel the loss of vision temporarily and it appears as if a black curtain has come down over the eyes of the patient vertically. Some patient also feels as if anybody has pulled a shade over the eye. Apart from that, sometimes it is also seen that the patient feels stroke-like symptoms before suffering from Amaurosis Fugax such as difficulty in speaking or sudden weakness on one side of the body or a facial droop on one side of the face.

It is observed that Amaurosis Fugax mainly occurs when the blood cannot flow to the central retinal artery which is responsible for supplying the blood to the eye due to some blockage. Another most important cause is the blood clot due to which the eye cannot get a sufficient amount of blood for its functioning. This is the reason why the patient experience blindness in Amaurosis Fugax. In addition to these, it is also observed that vasospasm is also responsible for Amaurosis Fugax. Vasospasm is a kind of disease in which the blood vessels in the eye slightly tightens thereby restricting the flow of blood into the eye. Vasospasm is mainly caused due to strenuous exercise, sexual intercourse, long distance running, etc. The problem of Amaurosis Fugax is mainly observed in those patients who have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, brain tumor, head injury, migraine, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, optic neuritis or polyarteritis nodosa.

High level of cholesterol is mainly responsible for a blood clot or blockage. That is the reason why it is very important to reduce the level of cholesterol that can increase the risk of blockage or blood clot. Apart from that, doctors prescribe blood thinner medications such as warfarin or aspirin that help in thinning the blood. It is also seen that doctors often prescribe the medications that help in lowering blood pressure. In some cases, it is necessary to go for surgery where the surgeon clears out the plague that blocks the carotid arteries.

Moreover, in addition to medication, it is also important to take some home remedies such as lessening the high-fat foods, fried food, processed food, fast food, etc. It is also important to avoid smoking and consuming alcohol. Exercising for at least 30 minutes every day also plays a great role in reducing the risk of having Amaurosis Fugax.

Most importantly, it is very essential for managing chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol level, etc.

Amaurosis Fugax is a really very serious disease and if you ever experience blindness even for a few seconds you should immediately diagnose the condition. Apart from eye testing, the doctor may ask the patient to go for some physical examination such as blood testing, electrocardiogram or imaging scan for identifying the blockage.

Considering the symptoms, overall health condition, age, medical history doctor can easily detect if the patient has Amaurosis Fugax or not. If Amaurosis Fugax is detected then it is very important to take the medication immediately to avoid severe complication such as stroke, complete blindness or sudden death.

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