eye problem

[jnetti]

Hi im very confused and dont know what's happening. When ever im sitting in class or standing at work my eyes out of no where get really blurry and i can barely see a thing this happens quick frequently in addition my eyes go completely white and i cant see anything. Its just all white not black or pixely. Its not like im light headed its just all white. Can i be going blind or what may this be. It last up to about 30 seconds to one minute. This started happening a few years back and only happened about 5 times.

[Christopher C Shen, MD]

Being pregnancy definitely changes the differential for blurry vision since a whole spectrum of serious conditions can cause visual changes such as very high blood pressure, pregnancy induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and sudden drop in blood sugar due to gestational diabetes.  Stress, tiredness, and hormonal changes are also less serious possibilities.  Sounds like you are doing the right thing discussing this with your doctor.

[jnetti]

Ok thank you. Yeah im only 18 right now and it hanppens whenever not just when im at school it happens all through out the day. Im 29 weeks pregnant so i thought maybe thats what brung the blurriness to occur more but i will talk to my doctor next thursday when i go for my next sonogram

[Christopher C Shen, MD]

If the situation only arises in class or at work, perhaps it may be related to your eyes not blinking for a prolonged period of time (if you're concentrating at the computer or the blackboard) and your eyes are drying out, although it sounds pretty extreme for the vision to go completely out in both eyes.  If you are over 50 and have a history of hypertension, another cause of sudden loss of vision for a short period of time could be a transient ischemic attack but again, this phenomenon typically occurs in one eye only.  Best to get your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist to rule out any visually threatening conditions.