Urgent
New headache and visual disturbances after the age of 50: contact a doctor or the out-of-hours service the same day.
Symptoms
- New or different headache, often at the temples
- Tenderness of the scalp and temples, for example when combing your hair
- Jaw pain when chewing
- Aching and stiffness in the shoulders and hips
- Fatigue, fever and weight loss
Visual symptoms are a warning sign
- Temporary blurred vision or blindness in one eye
- Sudden vision loss
- Double vision
Contact a doctor the same day. Without treatment, the disease can affect the other eye within hours to weeks.
Diagnosis and treatment
The diagnosis is made with blood tests showing inflammation and with scans of the arteries, for example ultrasound or PET-CT. Steroid treatment must be started quickly to protect your sight. It is managed by a rheumatology department and usually lasts 1–2 years.
What happens at our clinic?
- If you have visual symptoms, we examine the optic nerve and retina with pupil-dilating drops.
- If the disease is suspected, we make sure you are referred the same day for rapid investigation and treatment at hospital.
This text is general information and does not replace an examination. If you are unsure about your symptoms, call us.