Causes And Complications Of Vasculitis

Vision Loss

The most common type of vasculitis known to produce vision loss as a complication is referred to as giant cell arteritis. Giant cell arteritis describes when the lining of the blood vessels located in the head become inflamed. Inflammation in these blood vessels causes these tissues to swell, which reduces the quantity of blood that is physically able to move through them. Vision loss may occur in a giant cell arteritis patient when the main blood vessel responsible for providing oxygenated blood to the eye tissues becomes too inflamed and swollen to allow an adequate amount of blood through. When the eye tissues do not receive enough oxygenated blood, they begin to shut down and die. It is this hypoxia that causes an affected individual to experience blindness or vision loss as a result of their vasculitis. This complication usually starts or only occurs in one eye and tends to have a sudden onset.

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