Sudden loss of vision is a very rare condition, but when it appears it really scares the person who suffers from it, due to the speed with which it occurs and the symptoms it carries with it. Blindness can be partial, in one eye or both and can be immediate or take a couple of days to be complete.
None of the causes that lead to sudden blindness are good and can stem from a really serious illness. Today in we bring you the possible causes of sudden loss of vision in one eye, however, what we recommend is that you go immediately to a doctor if this symptom occurs and is accompanied by eye pain, head or dizziness.
Loss of vision in one eye due to retinal detachment
Although it is not one of the most common causes, it is one of the most frequent in patients when they indicate the symptom of sudden blindness. When we talk about retinal detachment (regmatogen), we refer to a retinal rupture, which generates a liquefied vitreous passage to the subretinal area. There are other cases of detachment, ranging from the common retina to an exudative type.
As we mentioned before, it is not the most common in any type of patient, however, it has been concluded that it is more frequent in patients suffering from myopia, regardless of sex and with an age range of between 40 and 70 years.
Blockage of an artery in the direction of the optic nerve
Commonly known as ischemic optic neuropathy, it is one of the most abrupt and violent causes when sudden vision loss is spoken. It can lead to partial vision loss, on the sides or directly in the center of the eye, depending on how severe the alteration of blood flow within the optic nerve is. It tends to be in one eye and very unexpectedly.
Many other people's diseases can cause the appearance of optic neuritis, among those are atherosclerosis, arteritis and diabetes mellitus or type II diabetes.
Keep in mind that if you have any of these diagnoses, you are 50 years old and you have other factors such as hypertension or smoking, you are a patient highly prone to suffer from optic neuropathies.
Retinal occlusions, another possible cause of vision loss in one eye
It is characterized by the sudden blockage of the veins or arteries indistinctly from the eye. Although it can occur in both structures, arterial occlusions tend to be more abrupt and it depends a lot on whether the affected artery is central or branched. Starting from here, blindness can appear in the eye completely or partially.
Although damage can be repaired with treatments, vision never recovers 100% and there are cases where the damage is irreparable.
This situation can arise from other diseases such as glaucoma or different types of diabetes, so older people are the most likely to suffer from it.
Sudden loss of vision in one eye from bleeding
Also called vitreous hemorrhage. It commonly occurs before a retinal detachment and is recognized by the sudden appearance of blood within the vitreous cavity of the eye.
What we commonly known as the rupture of a blood vessel, is considered a hemorrhage, just like any tear of the retina.
When there is a symptom of this style accompanied by eye pain, it is of the utmost importance to go to a doctor, since if the hemorrhage is small and controlled, only the sight is clouded, but on the contrary, if we are in the presence of a very extensive hemorrhage, blindness can be very serious and in very extreme cases, cause it permanently.
Blurred vision or loss of vision due to degeneration of the macula lutea
As indicated in its acronym, AMD or Age-Related Macular Degeneration, is a degenerative disease that mostly affects the elderly and affects the macula lutea, which is located within the retina of the eye.
There are two types of macular degeneration, being the wet or exudative the only one that has proven treatment for its improvement, despite its severity; on the other hand, there is atrophic AMD, which is its most common type in patients.
Although the disease is triggered by a sudden loss of vision, in this case it tends to be progressive, so if you begin to have sporadic clouds of vision or blindness stronger than normal, it is advisable that you go to your ophthalmologist to detect any anomaly in your eye and thus avoid more serious and irreparable consequences.
However, there are many other possible causes of sudden blindness in one eye, which is why it is best to go to your doctor as soon as you feel any abnormality in your vision. Now that you know the possible causes of sudden vision loss in one eye, you may also be interested in this other article on How to Care for Your Eyesight to Prevent Eye Disease.
