Stroke warning sign that strikes in the morning days before major event
There are some well-known symptoms that can strike days before a stroke - such as weakness on one side of the body or sudden confusion - but vision changes can also signal the oncoming cardiovascular disease.
A stroke occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, and this can present itself in a number of concerning ways.
Having an eye stroke - when blood supply to the eyes is cut off - may be an indication that you are at risk of a serious stroke.
Expanding research suggests that early damage to the tiny blood vessels leading to the eyes may be a warning sign of the condition.
These blockages can cause sudden changes in vision such as blurriness, dark areas, or shadows.
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Experts at Harvard Health have warned: “Ocular (eye) strokes can foreshadow a more serious stroke.”
In most cases, eye strokes almost always happen in just one of the eyes.
Fortunately, vision returns 80 percent of the time when there is a less serious blockage in the smaller arteries.
The condition remains dangerous, however, as a lack of blood flow to the tissues located in the front part of the optic nerve can have dire consequences for vision if treatment is delayed.
According to MedlinePlus, the optic nerve is a bundle of more than one million nerve fibres that carry visual messages. Your brain processes this sensory information so that you can see.
When it becomes completely cut off from the supply of nutrients and oxygen, nerve tissue is damaged, which can result in vision loss.
People with eye stroke are usually given little warning (Getty Images/iStockphoto)The Penn University website writes: “People with eye stroke are usually given little warning.
“Most people with eye stroke notice a loss of vision in one eye upon waking in the morning with no pain.
“Some people notice a dark area or shadow in their vision that affects the upper or lower half of their visual field."
The health body adds: “Other symptoms include loss of visual contrast and light sensitivity.”
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People with certain disc shapes face a higher risk of the condition, warns Penn Medicine.
This is because nerve fibres that travel to the brain and down the optic nerve must enter the eye through a hole known as the optic foramen.
If a person’s foramen is smaller than average this could cause the optic nerves to become crowded.
“Although the relationship is not well understood, people who had significant cardiovascular disease and also take the drug Viagra are more at risk for the disease,” adds the health body.
Early diagnosis and treatment offer the best chance of successful recovery, says the British Heart Foundation.
The foundation explains that the eye stroke should be diagnosed within four hours in order to dislodge the clot by massaging the eye.
Doctor Pearse Keane, a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfield Eye Hospital added: “People who develop a sudden loss of vision should see an expert urgently.
“Unfortunately, most patients don’t get specialist help for 24 hours or more, which is too late for treatment.”
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