A feeling of white veil in front of the eyes or blurred vision can be disconcerting. But it is most often benign and temporary. If this happens when you get up quickly from your recliner or chair, it’s due to a drop in blood pressure.
It can also happen if you are on the verge of fainting under sudden stress. “Getting up too quickly, straining too hard, becoming dehydrated or taking certain medications can also lead to hypotension – i.e. a drop in blood pressure – and potentially a whiteout” explains to the Washington Post, Dr. Sarah Thornton, neuro-ophthalmologist in Philadelphia (USA). “It can also happen on roller coasters or in car crashes, when the body experiences a deceleration,” she adds.
Why should you talk to the doctor about it?
A white veil in front of the eyes produced by stress, physical exertion or a drop in blood pressure quickly disappears. However, if this happens regularly, do not hesitate to speak to the doctor, who will check that there is not an underlying cause, and more particularly a cardiovascular disease such as arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, heart failure or aortic stenosis.
Veils in front of the eyes with the appearance of flashes of white light can also have an ophthalmological cause and be a sign of retinal detachment. To help your doctor determine the exact cause, try to determine if only one eye is affected by closing the eye to see that everything looks normal to the other. Also note precisely how long the whiteout lasted.
