At the 2025 meeting of the American Academy of Optometry, Gleb Sukhovolskiy, OD, MPH, FAAO, presented on transient vision loss. Here he discusses key takeaways.

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Hello everyone, my name is Gleb Sukhovolskiy, and I just presented at the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Boston on the topic of transient vision loss.

I believe transient vision loss is somewhat of an overlooked topic within optometry. It can often be disregarded by both patients and doctors alike because the symptoms are temporary. Patients may assume everything has returned to normal and that the issue has resolved on its own. Similarly, doctors might rationalize the symptoms with benign diagnoses without conducting an appropriate workup or evaluation.

My lecture focused on symptoms of transient vision loss or blurring, what workups may be appropriate, and how best to triage these cases to ensure that nothing serious is missed. Unfortunately, eye examinations often don’t yield much information in cases of transient vision loss, which is why the case history becomes especially important. We discussed how to use case history effectively to differentiate more benign causes from more serious or sinister ones.

Beyond history-taking, additional testing is sometimes necessary—whether that’s imaging, understanding how to order and interpret it, or knowing which types of imaging are most pertinent. These are all important aspects we covered in the lecture.

Imaging and lab testing can be particularly useful in triaging cases where history alone isn’t enough. Pursuing these avenues helps ensure that more concerning causes of transient vision loss—such as vascular occlusion, TIA, stroke, or other neurological issues—are ruled out before settling on a benign diagnosis.

My lecture addressed a range of causes for transient vision loss, including vascular, neurological, and migraine-related etiologies, which are quite common as well. The goal was to help optometrists triage these cases when they inevitably present in their clinics.

I believe the material presented is valuable for a wide range of practicing optometrists. No matter the clinical setting or area of focus, these cases will end up in your chair—and in some situations, recognizing the signs and pursuing the right workup could even save a patient’s life. It’s something very important for all of us to keep in mind. OM