aetiology

Last reviewed 01/2018

  • occlusive arterial disease
    • atherosclerosis or other lesions of the internal carotid artery (eg spontaneous dissection)
    • cardiac thromboemboli
    • arteritis
  • reduced perfusion pressure
    • postural hypotension
    • multiple occlusions of extracranial cerebral arteries
    • arteriovenous fistula
    • intracranial hypertension
    • glaucoma
  • increased resistance to retinal perfusion
    • malignant hypertension
    • migraine
    • increase in blood viscosity
    • vasospasm
  • miscellaneous causes
    • blowing the nose
    • sensitivity to cold
    • malaria
    • acute sharp pain
    • malaria
    • paraneoplastic retinopathy
    • interleukin-2
  • idiopathic

Atherosclerosis is the cause of amaurosis fugax in probably less than half the patients.