Temporary Blindness - What?
October 20, 2008 3:25 AM Subscribe
This morning my roommate woke up at six AM absolutely blind. She was terrified and fumbling around and I helped her to the bathroom to throw up. While throwing up her vision returned and it hasn't fully left since, but she's thrown up a few more times and feels really miserable. Other symptoms include a sour throat and a headache, and vision has been blurry since.
Does anyone know what this might be or whether it's an emergent situation? We live in Israel and it's a holiday so everything is closed except for emergency rooms. It's been about 6 hours since the blindness.
Thank you.
This post was deleted for the following reason: I'm sorry but this is over the line for something you shoudl be asking the internet. Please take your friend to the emergency room and let us know how it comes out in metatalk. -- jessamyn
Emergency room. NOW.
posted by itstheclamsname at 3:43 AM on October 20, 2008 [5 favorites]
posted by itstheclamsname at 3:43 AM on October 20, 2008 [5 favorites]
Some form of glaucoma, arterial migraine: at this point it doesn't matter what anyone here thinks it is.
Emergency room NOW
posted by mandal at 3:43 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by mandal at 3:43 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
Just to add to the chorus: Good grief, YES this is an emergency situation. Get to the ER.
posted by kalimac at 3:45 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by kalimac at 3:45 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
nthing ED.
posted by brevator at 3:52 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by brevator at 3:52 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
Please to take it to a hospital.
posted by Jofus at 4:25 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Jofus at 4:25 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
Wow. Emergency room. Inexplicable and sudden blindness always, ALWAYS justifies an emergency room visit. Even if it wasn't a holiday and other things were open.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 4:26 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by flibbertigibbet at 4:26 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
Don't fuck around with your eyes -- you can't get new ones if they break. Go to the ER.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:26 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by Rock Steady at 4:26 AM on October 20, 2008
Yes, ER. Could be severe migraine, but could also be something much worse. Lets hope it not.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 4:36 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 4:36 AM on October 20, 2008
If you're still reading this, Stop. Grab roommate and go to the ER,
posted by winston at 4:50 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by winston at 4:50 AM on October 20, 2008
Please take her to the emergency room right away. This is what they're for - if you need urgent treatment and everything else is closed. She needs to be assessed in person by a health care professional asap.
posted by different at 4:51 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by different at 4:51 AM on October 20, 2008
A doctor in the office with me here says same as above. Stop reading this and go now, please.
posted by rokusan at 4:55 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by rokusan at 4:55 AM on October 20, 2008
What they said. There are certain medical issues you do not fuck around with. Anything involving sudden extreme changes in vision, speech, dexterity or motion fall into this category, as they can point to neurological issues.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:57 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:57 AM on October 20, 2008
I hope you're already at the hospital. I am not a doctor, so my opinion means nothing, but I bet it's a migraine. Come back and tell us how your roommate is doing!
posted by Hildegarde at 5:59 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by Hildegarde at 5:59 AM on October 20, 2008
Unbelievable. Your roommate's went temporarily blind and began vomiting. IT'S SERIOUS!
You also mentioned her eyesight "hasn't fully left again". If I read that literally, you are saying it's partially left again several times. BAD!
As an aside, I made an acquaintance recently. We met at a small boutique shop where she was the manager. She and I were discussing her moving into my place as a roommate. She didn't show up on the day she was supposed to come over to see the apartment. I went back to the shop and she was there. She'd passed out a couple of days early, her eyesight weakened and blurry, vomiting and nauseous. Couldn't see well enough to drive, one eye almost total blind, but she tried to solder through even coming into the shop.
I've since spoken with her brother and the doctors had made a diagnosis (I can't remember the specifics now). She lost sight in both eyes for several months with other complications as well. I don't think her sight has fully returned. She had a full support network of family and friends around her and I can't say if things would have turned out better for her if she'd handled it differently, but sitting there with your partially blind roommate reading a website isn't going to help.
posted by michswiss at 6:14 AM on October 20, 2008
You also mentioned her eyesight "hasn't fully left again". If I read that literally, you are saying it's partially left again several times. BAD!
As an aside, I made an acquaintance recently. We met at a small boutique shop where she was the manager. She and I were discussing her moving into my place as a roommate. She didn't show up on the day she was supposed to come over to see the apartment. I went back to the shop and she was there. She'd passed out a couple of days early, her eyesight weakened and blurry, vomiting and nauseous. Couldn't see well enough to drive, one eye almost total blind, but she tried to solder through even coming into the shop.
I've since spoken with her brother and the doctors had made a diagnosis (I can't remember the specifics now). She lost sight in both eyes for several months with other complications as well. I don't think her sight has fully returned. She had a full support network of family and friends around her and I can't say if things would have turned out better for her if she'd handled it differently, but sitting there with your partially blind roommate reading a website isn't going to help.
posted by michswiss at 6:14 AM on October 20, 2008
It could be an instance of an extremely low blood sugar level (i.e. diabetes). She needs immediate medical attention. In other words, emergency room, just like everyone above recommended.
posted by artemisia at 6:40 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by artemisia at 6:40 AM on October 20, 2008
I had a friend who used to go temporarily blind when she drank too much.
posted by chunking express at 6:53 AM on October 20, 2008
posted by chunking express at 6:53 AM on October 20, 2008
I had a friend who used to go temporarily blind when she drank too much.
Maybe she should have gone to a doctor, too.
although there is the term 'blind drunk'.
posted by dunkadunc at 6:55 AM on October 20, 2008
Maybe she should have gone to a doctor, too.
although there is the term 'blind drunk'.
posted by dunkadunc at 6:55 AM on October 20, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Etaoin Shrdlu at 3:32 AM on October 20, 2008 [1 favorite]