Question Title: Amaurosis Fugax

My mother was in a serious car accident and was smacked in the face by the air bag, along with open wounds and a series of anticoagulant drugs. Anyway, shortly afterward, she experienced a "fading" in one of her eyes. She says it's like having a feather in front of her eye all the time. She's lost peripheral vision and quite a bit of sight. Her eye doctor wants to "monitor" the situation, and told her to take asprin. The asprin is eating at her stomach so she quit. We recently read an article about amaurosis fugax and the symtoms sound familiar. We're wondering should she schedule an MRI and see a vascular surgeon, do you think the situation sounds this serious? This sounds like a potential of complete blindness or possibly a clot dislodging and traveling to the brain. Please advise. Thank you.

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debbie-
to be honest, the first part of your question is confusing. do u mean she was previously on anti-coagulants??? or was placed on them after the accident?? anyway, amaurosis fugax can be very serious, but not for the eye only, necessarily. what it really is, simply put, is a "mini-stroke" involving the circulation of the eye. it causes temporary loss of vision in one eye for up to a few hours. it may be complete loss or only partial , but it is in one eye. it is usually seen in the elderly who are hypertensive, diabetic or have high cholesterol. it really is a warning that a patient is at risk for a stroke, that may involve other parts of the brain, not just the eye. it requires a thorough evaluation by an internist, working with an ophthalmologist. potential sources of blocked arteries, or abnormal heart valves need to be explored with tests. i hope this helps.

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