Just because your sudden-onset double vision disappeared after a few minutes doesn’t mean that the cause can’t kill you.
There are many causes of double vision (diplopia), but sudden-onset, transient double vision is a different animal and almost always points to an underlying, very serious problem.
For example, this is a possible symptom of a mini stroke (TIA: transient ischemic attack).
And though sudden-onset transient double vision may have a not-so-serious cause, such as something wrong with the eye rather than the brain, this doesn’t mean you should blow this off and pretend nothing happened just because everything returned to normal after a few minutes.
Get to the Emergency Room
A physician will administer the appropriate tests to see what may have caused this troubling symptom. NEVER think, “Oh, I’ll be fine; it’s gone now.”
Thinking like this could COST YOU. A transient ischemic attack is a warning sign that a massive stroke could be lurking just around the bend.
Blood flow in the brain is cut off in an ischemic stroke. Shutterstock/corbac40
Other possible causes of sudden-onset transient double vision are an actual stroke, diabetes and trauma to the head.
The ER doctor will start by taking a detailed medical history and performing a physical exam.
A neurological exam is usually next, as double vision can be linked to neurological issues – such as a TIA.
This involves checking your eye movements, reflexes and muscle strength.
Vision tests are also conducted to understand the nature of the double vision.
These tests might include tracking your eye movements and measuring how well your eyes focus and align.
Blood tests can help identify issues such as diabetes, thyroid problems or infections that could be affecting your vision.
If the initial tests suggest a more serious problem, imaging studies like a CT scan or MRI of the brain might be performed to check for tumors, bleeding or other abnormalities.
“If the symptom is truly double vision and the other causes you list are ruled out, then in otherwise healthy people a consideration would be myasthenia gravis,” says Anthony P. Geraci, MD, associate professor of neurology at Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine in New York.
“There is a simple blood test to check for this and one should see a neurologist to investigate this possibility.
“Myasthenia gravis is a condition which causes muscle weakness transiently. It can often be limited to muscles of the eyes.”
I’ll say it again: If your symptom lasted only a few minutes and you felt “fine” after that point, as though nothing happened, do not be tricked by this.
A mini stroke, by definition, is transient. The next blood clot could be a full-blown stroke and permanently cripple you, if not kill you.
Dr. Geraci is also the director of neuromuscular medicine at Northwell Health in New York.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Top image: Shutterstock/Erica Danger
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