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Amaurosis fugax overview

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

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Overview

Overview

Amaurosis (Greek meaning darkening, dark, or obscure) is vision loss or weakness that occurs without an apparent lesion affecting the eye [2]. It may result from either a medical condition or from excess acceleration, as in flight. The term is the same as the Latin gutta serena. Amaurosis fugax (Latin fugax meaning fleeting, Greek amaurosis meaning darkening, dark, or obscure) is a transient monocular visual loss.[1] Amaurosis fugax (Latin: fugax meaning fugitive) is a temporary loss of vision in one eye caused by decreased blood flow (ischemia) to the retina. Another cause is the presence of emboli located in the ipsilateral(same side) internal carotid artery. It is a type of transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Those experiencing Amaurosis usually experience complete symptom abeyance within a few minutes.

References

References

  1. Fisher, C. “‘Transient monocular blindness’ versus ‘amaurosis fugax.'” Neurology. 1989;39(12):1622-4. PMID 2685658.

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