Gradual loss and recovery of vision in temporal arteritis.

Visual loss in temporal arteritis is usually sudden and irreversible. In this article, we describe a patient who complained of slowly progressive visual loss in one eye, eventually followed by loss of vision in the other eye and ophthalmoparesis. A biopsy specimen confirmed the diagnosis of temporal arteritis. Steroid therapy resulted in almost total recovery of vision. The gradual loss and recovery of vision is attributed to reversible ischemia of the optic nerve. This case broadens the spectrum of temporal arteritis to include complaints of progressive visual loss over several months.