Temporary blindness

I recently fell flat down head first on the ice and my right eyebrow was badly swollen with a big lump. I now have a black eye (right), and bad bruise on the right eyebrow area. Last night, 4 nights after the fall, I was awaken by a bright whiteout in my left eye which lasted a few seconds. Then the left eye went blind for a few seconds and the sight came back. This only happened once and my eyesight has been normal since. I do not feel I have a headache. The bruise only hurts when I press on it. Is there some serious injury that had happened during the fall? Should I go see my physician immediately?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

1. Stop pressing on the bruise.
2. If your vision is normal and there is no eye pain, no double vision, no pupil size difference and you remain normal over the weekend then I think seeing an ophthalmologist is optional. This assumes you do not have any eye diseases and have had an exam in the last 12 months.
3. If any of these things develop see an ophthalmologist.

JCH MD