Share this on:Copied!

Sudden vision loss is a medical emergency. If you lose vision in one or both eyes, you need to get expert treatment, fast. Without medical help, you’re more likely to have permanent vision loss.

If possible, you should go to an urgent eye care clinic, like the UPMC Urgent Eye Care Clinic at UPMC Mercy Pavilion, rather than a general urgent care clinic that sees all types of patients. The team at UPMC’s Urgent Eye Care Clinic includes ophthalmologists and other providers who specialize in emergency eye conditions.

Here’s what you need to know about emergency treatment for eye trauma, what causes vision loss, and how to prevent sudden vision loss.

What Is Sudden Vision Loss?

Sudden vision loss means that you lose sight in one or both eyes in a short period. It can happen in a few minutes or over several days. Doctors consider both scenarios to be sudden vision loss.

With sudden vision loss, you may lose all your vision. Or, you may lose sight in one specific area, like the middle of your field of vision.

Depending on the cause of the vision loss, you may or may not experience eye pain. But whether you have pain or not, sudden vision loss needs immediate medical care.

Is Sudden Vision Loss the Same as Blurry Vision?

Sudden vision loss isn’t the same as blurry vision. If you have blurry vision, things may seem fuzzy or distorted, but you can still see something.

Blurry vision can come from many issues, including cataract symptoms, eye infections, or age-related macular degeneration. It can also be the result of refractive errors. Refractive errors include:

• Age-related loss of the ability to focus on things close to you, like a book.
• Astigmatism, an irregular curve of the cornea or lens of the eye.
• Farsightedness.
• Nearsightedness.

What Are the Most Common Causes of a Sudden Loss of Vision?

There are many reasons you may lose vision. All of the conditions below can lead to sudden vision loss.

• Acute angle-closure glaucoma — This occurs when there is a sudden increase in the pressure of the fluid inside your eye. Symptoms of acute angle-closure glaucoma include sudden, severe eye pain, vomiting, and seeing halos.
• Acute eye infections — It’s rare, but an untreated eye infection (pink eye) can sometimes progress to the point where it affects your eyesight.
• Blunt force trauma — A black eye is no joke. After an injury, the eyelid and tissue around and in the eye swell. The pressure can cause a detached retina, leading to sudden vision loss. 
• Chemical eye injury — This can happen if you splash harsh cleaning solutions, drain cleaner, lye, garden products, or solvents on your eye. To treat a chemical burn in the eye, you should immediately flush it out copiously with clean water. Then, get medical help.
• Diabetic retinopathy — This occurs when blood vessels in the retina begin bleeding into the gel-like fluid that fills your eye. If blood vessels in the retina burst, you could have sudden vision loss. That’s more likely in the later stages of the disease.
• Macular degeneration — In the wet (more severe) type of this disease, abnormal blood vessels form in the eye. They leak fluid and blood and can cause a loss of central vision. 
• Orbital cellulitis — An eye specialist will know how to recognize orbital cellulitis, a bacterial eye socket infection. It causes inflammation around the eye and may damage the nerve and muscles around the eye as well as the eye itself, so that it can’t function properly. 
• Retinal detachment — The signs of a retinal detachment include flashes of light, dark shadows, and a sudden increase in floaters. If you have retinal detachment symptoms, you will need surgery to reattach the retina. 
• Retinal vein or artery occlusion — This is a blockage of blood flow to or from the retina. It might happen due to a blood clot or a buildup of cholesterol.
• Stroke — Temporary vision loss can be a sign that a stroke will happen soon. After a stroke, the part of your brain that processes sight may not work well, resulting in vision loss.

What Should I Do if I Experience Sudden Vision Loss?

Prompt action is crucial in receiving eye trauma treatment. The faster you get treatment, the more likely you’ll retain your vision.

How do I treat sudden vision loss?

You shouldn’t try to treat sudden vision loss yourself. You need to get emergency medical care as soon as possible. Have someone drive you to the nearest urgent eye care clinic or emergency department.

Depending on your condition, an eye specialist may:

• Conduct a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
• Conduct specialized testing. That may include visual field testing, fluorescein angiography, or electrophysiological tests. These exams diagnose specific eye conditions.
• Review your medical history and ask you about any existing eye problems.
• Run blood and imaging tests to identify other diseases that may be affecting the eyes. Those could include diabetes and high blood pressure.

Depending on what caused your sudden vision loss, your treatment could include:

• Eye drops
• Medications
• Steroids
• Surgery

It’s important to schedule follow-up appointments with your eye care team. They can monitor your progress and adjust your medication as needed.

How Can I Prevent Sudden Vision Loss?

Ideally, you’ll never have to ask yourself, “Why did I have a sudden loss of vision?” Here are some tips for keeping your eyes as healthy as possible and preventing sudden vision loss.

• Know your family history — Be aware of any eye problems that run in your family.
• Manage your overall health — High blood pressure can lead to eye problems, and diabetes increases your risk of eye diseases like cataracts and open-angle glaucoma.
• Quit smoking — Smoking increases your risk of eye diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts. You’ll also improve your overall health if you quit smoking.
• Schedule regular eye exams — The American Optometric Association recommends an annual eye exam starting at age 18.
• Wear protective eyewear — Use safety glasses or goggles when you’re playing sports or working with chemicals, power tools, or lawn equipment.
• Wear sunglasses — Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can cause lasting damage to your eyes. Look for UV-blocking sunglasses.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on July 14, 2025, and was last reviewed on July 16, 2025.