Clinical Diagnosis · Nervous System · Hard
Amaurosis
Meaning: Loss of vision without an obvious lesion of the eye itself, often temporary and caused by reduced blood flow.
In practice: He described a curtain coming down over one eye, typical of amaurosis fugax.
Word parts
- -osis means an abnormal condition or process
Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.
Quick check
Two questions on related clinical diagnosis words.
Which word means: Velocity-dependent increase in muscle tone due to an upper motor neurone lesion.
Answer: Spasticity
Which word means: A collection of pus beside a tonsil, causing severe sore throat, trismus and a muffled voice.
Answer: Quinsy
Words like amaurosis come up in the daily game
One medical word a day, then a quick three-question quiz. Free on iPhone, or play in your browser on Android and computer.