What is giant cell arteritis?
In short
- Inflamed arteries in the head which can cut off the blood supply to the eye. A new headache, tender temples, jaw pain on chewing or any sudden sight change needs urgent assessment the same day.
- A new, frequent or constant headache, often at the temples, with a scalp or temple which is tender to touch. Jaw pain which comes on while chewing and eases when you stop.
- Contact your GP urgently if you have the headache, tenderness or jaw symptoms.
Also called: GCA, Temporal arteritis
- Part of the eye
- Blood supply to the eye
- Group
- Specialist care
- Vision functions involved
- Visual field, Contrast and detail
- Main source
- RNIB
Giant cell arteritis, also called temporal arteritis, inflames the large and medium arteries of the head and neck. The swollen artery walls narrow the channel, so less blood gets through. When the blood supply to the eye is restricted, sight can be lost in that eye. RNIB and the hospital eye services treat it as an emergency because prompt treatment can stop the other eye being affected.
Optic nerve
Carries signals from the retina to the brain. Glossary entry
RNIB
Royal National Institute of Blind People. Glossary entry
How giant cell arteritis can affect day-to-day life
You may recognise some of these situations, or none of them. The point is to find help with the things you want to do.
A new headache in your 70s
Combing your hair hurts and chewing a meal brings on an ache in the jaw.
Phone the GP the same day and say the words temporal arteritis. It changes how fast you are seen.
A blackout in one eye
The sight goes for a few minutes, then returns.
Treat it as an emergency anyway. Eye casualty, 111 or A&E today.
Changes you may notice
- A new, frequent or constant headache, often at the temples, with a scalp or temple which is tender to touch. Jaw pain which comes on while chewing and eases when you stop.
- Sight changes: a temporary blackout in one eye, double vision, or a sudden lasting loss of sight. Some people also have tiredness, weight loss, fever, night sweats or flu-like symptoms.
Everyone is different. Symptoms on their own cannot identify a condition.
What to do about a new or sudden changeAssessment and care
Contact your GP urgently if you have the headache, tenderness or jaw symptoms. For any sudden sight change go to a walk-in eye casualty, contact your GP, call 111 or go to A&E, even if your sight has come back. Treatment, usually high-dose steroids, starts at once. The doctor checks your sight, your temporal artery and your blood, and may scan the optic nerve. A small sample of the artery is sometimes taken to confirm the diagnosis.
How it affects sight
About 30 in 100 people with giant cell arteritis have a visual symptom. The usual cause of sight loss is damage to the optic nerve from lost blood supply, and sometimes a blocked retinal artery. Most people have the headache first, but some lose sight without noticing any other symptom.
How vision is affected
These topics explain the parts of vision involved. They do not predict your sight, diagnose anything or show the condition itself.
Visual field
Finding a face and noticing the edge of a step make different demands on sight. One uses the centre of your view. The other uses the edges.
Open the visual field labContrast and detail
Sharp edges only help when they stand out from the background. Contrast, print size and blur each change how easy a task is.
Open the contrast and detail labEveryday support
Do not wait to see if the headache passes. Mention jaw pain and tender temples to the doctor, because they point to this condition. Steroid treatment lasts months and is reduced slowly, so keep every appointment and never stop the tablets on your own. Tell your GP about any new sight change while on treatment.
Driving: you must tell DVLA about an eye condition which affects both eyes, or your only seeing eye. Driving and your eyesight
Common questions
Why is giant cell arteritis treated as an emergency?
Because the inflamed artery can stop blood reaching the optic nerve or retina. Without immediate treatment, sight loss in one eye can be followed by the other eye within about a week. Treatment starts straight away, before all the test results are back.
My sight went and came back. Do I still need to be seen?
Yes. RNIB says sudden sight loss should be assessed urgently even if the sight returns and even without the other symptoms. Go to eye casualty or A&E, contact your GP or call 111.
Who gets it?
It rarely affects people under 50, usually starts from 60, and is most common over 70. Women are affected more than men.
A question to take to your appointment
If this is giant cell arteritis, how quickly does treatment start, and what should make me go back the same day?Prepare your appointment checklist
Sources and review status
- Written by
- The Omnirx.io team, from the sources above
- Sources checked
- Page updated
- Next review due
- Clinical review
- Not yet. No clinician has endorsed this page.
- Reading level
- About 15 words a sentence, 261 words of guidance
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Cite this page
Glanced (2026) Giant cell arteritis: what the name means, care and support. Omnirx.io team for Medstack Ltd. Available at: https://www.glanced.co.uk/condition/giant-cell-arteritis/ (Accessed: ). Source checked 4 October 2026.
Educational information. Follow the advice of your own eye-care team.