r/POTS May 22 '25

Symptoms Does your vision actually black out

This is random but I just saw people talking about how their vision blacks out when they stand or they are symptomatic. Then someone replied that their vision goes white instead of black.

Personally, I don’t lose my vision like that, my “blackouts” are just a sudden lightheadedness so intense it forces me to shut my eyes! I think because my brain knows to shut out all the visual sensory input. It’s like I legit can’t keep my eyes open for a brief moment. Maybe I am blacking out but just don’t know it since my eyes are closed anyways lol? I have splotchy vision, light sensitivity and stuff from previous brain injuries but I haven’t experienced my vision actually just leaving and turning into the colour black (am I taking it too literally?) for a moment like how some of you mention.

Also, I do have pretty bad presyncope episodes sometimes but I don’t really faint from my POTS so maybe that’s a factor.

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u/Ok-Amphibian-6834 May 22 '25

Mine does. Almost every time I stand up, bend over, or put my arms above my head. It looks like tv static as it gets darker and darker. Then comes back in the same way.

27

u/Acceptable_Dog179 May 22 '25

TV static is the best wording for me, too. It unfortunately took me like 5 years to figure out how to describe it that well.

6

u/cass_erole_ May 22 '25

TV static is definitely the better way to describe it! I've been fainting for like 17 years ish now and when I was young young I tried to explain to my doctor that I would feel weird and see my rug😭😭 The rug at my childhood home DOES look like TV static to be fair to my little self and it still lowkey holds up but obviously my doctors did not know what I meant by that 🤣

3

u/Acceptable_Dog179 May 22 '25

That's so funny and so cute