What Causes Shadow Above The Eye Upon Waking Up In The Morning?

Posted on Tue, 29 Sep 2015

Question: Am 64 years old and I have had 3 incidents over past 2 and 1/2 years where I have woken up in the morning and could see a shadow above left or right eye, no loss of vision, no other symptoms. First time it happened it was thought to be amaurosois fugax although carotid artery, ecg and brain scan tests all clear. Was prescribed blood thinner and statins. When it happened again same tests came back clear and doctors unsure what it might be and are now questioning if it was a TIA at all. What else could it be?

Answered by Dr. Neeraj Kumar (17 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Provide more clinical details

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,
I have gone through your question and understand your concerns.

Please provide some more details about the episodes.
1) duration of episode.
2) what exactly shadow means? whether there was black spot in your visual field?
3) any associated eye pain, swelling, redness?
4) any headache, heaviness, vomiting, diplopia?
5) any history of diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy or seizures, syncopal episodes, cardiac illness?
6) any neck pain?

Amaurosis fugax due to transient ischemic attack is sudden onset visual scotoma or loss lasting for few seconds to hours and improving in most cases.
Other possibility may be some occipital seizures leading to such phenomenon.
Upload your previous records and imaging also, so that I am better able to help you.

Hope you found the answer helpful.
Do get back with reports and details.
Regards
Dr Neeraj XXXXXXX
Neurologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj