How long can 'temporary blindness' last? Can it last 3 weeks?

[CuriousWon]

A person who recently joined our social circle has claimed, as a result of a head injury, they completely lost their vision for 3 weeks; then it came back. Supposedly without any major surgical intervention. Don't want to write this person off out of hand as a liar, so would like to know if this is even medically POSSIBLE?

[jamesssaat]

I'm not a doctor, but I disagree with the doctor on this one. I have lupus and ulcerative colitis, so I can say, with certainty, that I'm an expert when it comes to being treated by doctors and ER rooms. First off, ER rooms are Band-Aids. People watch shows like house and Grey's anatomy and assume that not only do doctors treat whatever alignments you have, but they can (Can being hospital financial policies). The real answer cannot be answered by your question, because there is not enough information there to answer it......so let's start over. Was the patient consciense when they came in? What tests have been run? Did they have any follow up visits? Did the follow ups run any tests? What were the follow ups specialties? What kind of insurance did the patient have? These are all important questions. I was having problems walking after one of my flares and sent to a neurologist; nothing was wrong. I then was sent to a physical therapist to learn to walk again. 6 months later, I was walking and dislocated my ankle and broke it in 3 places. Come to find out that I had osteoporosis at age 42 from all the steroids I had to take.  Seems obvious to anyone now, but at the time no one could figure it out. Another time, I went to the same ER 6 times for peeing blood out of my rectum. The last time they sent me home, even after seeing ulcerative colitis or Crohn's showing up on my cat scan. Every time I came in (3 times in a week), they would just give me medicine and send me home. By the time I got home I was back sitting on the toilet and throwing up in the bathtub. They did a stool test the first time I came in and it was clear. A few days later I was hospitalized for a week at a different hospital and almost bled to death before I got there. I read in the newspaper a few months later that the first hospital was getting a class action lawsuit from the doctors who worked there over policies to discharge patients. Anyone who spends anytime in the ER knows that it's just for temporary relief.  If they got testing by a credible eye specialist and neurologist afterward.... And I do emphasize the word credible..... I might, maybe, possibly, agree with the doctor

[jamesssaat]

I'm not a doctor, but I disagree with the doctor on this one. I have lupus and ulcerative colitis, so I can say, with certainty, that I'm an expert when it comes to being treated by doctors and ER rooms. First off, ER rooms are Band-Aids. People watch shows like house and Grey's anatomy and assume that not only do doctors treat whatever alignments you have, but they can (Can being hospital financial policies). The real answer cannot be answered by your question, because there is not enough information there to answer it......so let's start over. Was the patient consciense when they came in? What tests have been run? Did they have any follow up visits? Did the follow ups run any tests? What were the follow ups specialties? What kind of insurance did the patient have? These are all important questions. I was having problems walking after one of my flares and sent to a neurologist; nothing was wrong. I then was sent to a physical therapist to learn to walk again. 6 months later, I was walking and dislocated my ankle and broke it in 3 places. Come to find out that I had osteoporosis at age 42 from all the steroids I had to take.  Seems obvious to anyone now, but at the time no one could figure it out. Another time, I went to the same ER 6 times for peeing blood out of my rectum. The last time they sent me home, even after seeing ulcerative colitis or Crohn's showing up on my cat scan. Every time I came in (3 times in a week), they would just give me medicine and send me home. By the time I got home I was back sitting on the toilet and throwing up in the bathtub. They did a stool test the first time I came in and it was clear. A few days later I was hospitalized for a week at a different hospital and almost bled to death before I got there. I read in the newspaper a few months later that the first hospital was getting a class action lawsuit from the doctors who worked there over policies to discharge patients. Anyone who spends anytime in the ER knows that it's just for temporary relief.  If they got testing by a credible eye specialist and neurologist afterward.... And I do emphasize the word credible..... I might, maybe, possibly, agree with the doctor. BTW- I have really good, private insurance.

[JohnHaganMD]

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[CuriousWon]

Thank you for the reply.

Don't know every detail, but (allegedly) it was from falling off a motorbike somewhere in southeast Asia. They described the hospital as what one my expect in a developing country. Said after three weeks vision started to slowly restore. No major surgical intervention was mentioned, just somehow, some way, the vision came back.

[JohnHaganMD]

The world is full of weird, hard to explain events.  

[JohnHaganMD]

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[JohnHaganMD]

Not at all likely. In many cases it is often "hysterical blindness" like occurred especially in WW1.  Sometimes it is part of a conscious or unconscious to milk sympathy or money out of an injury.  They probably believe it is true. I would just move on to a different topic.

[CuriousWon]

Thank you for reply. Could 'hysterical blindness' last for three weeks? (I ask because that might give insight between 'they probably believe it is true' versus outright lying)

Thank you again