Amaurosis

Amaurosis

Amaurosis is visual loss, with the implication that this is not due to refractive error or intrinsic ocular disease. The term is most often used in the context of amaurosis fugax, a transient monocular blindness, which is most often due to embolism from a stenotic ipsilateral internal carotid artery (ocular transient ischemic attack). Giant cell arteritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome are also recognized causes. Gaze-evoked amaurosis has been associated with a variety of mass lesions and is thought to result from decreased blood flow to the retina from compression of the central retinal artery with eye movement.