Amaurosis fugax
A symptom described as a shade coming down over the eye. A partial or complete loss of sight that is temporary. This temporary interference with vision is usually related to atherosclerosis in the blood vessels that supply the brain. It can also occur with excessive acceleration, as in flight. Amaurosis is the Greek word for darkening, dark, or obscure. The ancients used it to refer to dimmed vision, especially if there was nothing they could see that was wrong with the eye itself. Fugax is related to fugitive (fleeing). Amaurosis fugax therefore means a fleeting loss of vision.
* * *
amaurosis fu·gax -'f(y)ü-.gaks n temporary partial or complete loss of sight esp. from the effects of excessive acceleration (as in flight)
* * *
a transient episode of blindness or partial blindness affecting one eye, caused by ischemia of the eye and lasting ten minutes or less. Sometimes used synonymously with transient monocular blindness (q.v.).
Medical dictionary.
2011.