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Description and Possible Medical Problems

It’s not unusual to suddenly lose part or all of your vision for a few seconds as a result of a physical injury—for instance, when you see stars during the impact of a car accident. Your sight will usually be fully restored within a few days.

But what happens when you suddenly become unable to see within a small area or visual field or can see only some of the objects located within that area?

Partial loss of a visual field is commonly known as a scotoma, and it affects people in a variety of ways. A scotoma may result in total blindness to all objects within the affected field, or the affected person may be able to pick out certain large objects but not smaller ones. Sometimes the scotoma will be visible as flashes of light that occur only within a partial visual field; this is called a scintillating scotoma.

A number of health problems can cause a scotoma. Certain eye diseases, such as glaucoma, the inflammation of the optic nerve called optic neuritis, and a retinal disorder called macular degeneration, can cause a scotoma. A scintillating scotoma frequently occurs in people who suffer from migraine headaches. Prompt treatment is necessary in order to prevent permanent damage to your vision.

Treatment

To treat a scotoma, your doctor will first have to address the underlying condition that is causing the partial loss of a visual field. Scotomas that are caused by glaucoma or macular degeneration lessen or disappear when these conditions are treated. A scintillating scotoma will disappear when a migraine subsides. However, with optic neuritis, the vision loss will last until the inflammation of the optic nerve subsides, which can take up to three weeks or more. Since optic neuritis can sometimes be painful, your doctor may recommend that you remain still and quiet and try to restrict your eye movement to hasten your recovery. Optic neuritis can also be an early symptom of multiple sclerosis, so your doctor will want to monitor your health closely to check the progress of the disease.

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