Postprandial transient visual loss.

BACKGROUND: Temporary loss of vision after ingestion of a large meal is a phenomenon that has been reported in only a small number of cases in the ophthalmic literature.

CASE REPORT: A 60-year-old man reported episodes of blurred vision associated with visual aberrations in his left eye for 5 minutes after eating large meals. His medical history was significant for carotid artery disease, hypertension, "diet-controlled" diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. The patient's symptoms abated when he ate in smaller quantities and was placed on a regimen of IOP-lowering eye drops.

CONCLUSIONS: Postprandial transient visual loss can occur when blood gets shunted to the mesenteric system after eating, leaving the eye hypoperfused. It most commonly takes place in individuals whose ocular perfusion is already compromised by carotid disease, in combination with other vascular conditions that result in the inability to compensate for decreased perfusion to the eye. The signs and symptoms of postprandial visual loss--as well as the mechanisms thought to contribute to it--are discussed.