Has anyone had an NAION diagnosis with improved vision after time

Hi @samuel777 , and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm glad you found this online community.
First of all, let me say that I am sorry this has happened to you. It is pretty new to you and you are perhaps slightly concerned and overwhelmed about all this.
It gets better. And you will learn to live with it.

I can share my story, in the hope that it provides some encouragement and answers your question.
I had NAION in my left eye about 3 years ago.
I remember well those days. For one thing, four doctors in my town did not know what I had and I was eventually referred to UC Davis. I saw a neuro-opthalmalogist named Dr. Liu. She is one of the few neuro-opthalmologists around.
I was quickly diagnosed with NAION. Most likely they said. It took two weeks to get there and once I knew what was going on, I researched as much as I could about this. I did not like what I learned.
I have high cholesterol, and they determined I had a small disc space, but that is about the only condition on the list of things people who get this seem to have.
I was very unhappy about my left eye being fuzzy and weird.
It took me about 8 months to accept this and be able to adjust to this and learn to live with it. We are all different, so you may take less time.
It was VERY frustrating in the beginning. It was like my left lens on my glasses were all smeary. I could make out things but they were very blurry and I had a dark cloud at the top of my vision that extended down and around in a backwards C.
The optic nerve was very swollen, and I had regular checks with my optometrist every other week for a couple of months. Then I went back to UC Davis after the nerve had settled down to see what I was left with.
I was told the first several months were the healing phase, and they just don't know what may happen with your vision...but I was assured...it was not coming back.
Depression! Oh gosh. I ride a Harley Davidson, what will this mean for me. You can't ride with bad vision.
In the end, about a year afterwards, I hardly notice I can't see well, as my champion right eye does most of the work. I have adjusted as well as anyone can, and life went on. My vision, adjusted for reading is 20/20. It was 20/40 in the NAION eye, so I guess I can say I did get back the central vision, but the outside backwards C that is blurry and dark has never gone away.

I don't want to burden you with tons of info, but here is a quick little internet blurb from UC Davis about NAION:

UC Davis Health researchers identified high altitude as a new risk factor for Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION), a condition causing sudden, painless vision loss often termed an "eye stroke."

Study Findings: Published in June 2023, the study led by Dr. Yin Allison Liu found that exposure to altitudes between 7,000 and 9,000 feet (or commercial flights pressurized to 6,000–8,000 feet) can trigger NAION due to hypobaric hypoxia.
Key Risk Factors: Beyond altitude, the strongest risk factor is having a small, crowded optic disc ("disc-at-risk"). Other significant risks include obstructive sleep apnea (six-fold increased risk), advanced age, diabetes, and hypertension.
Treatment & Outlook: There is currently no effective cure for NAION. Prevention focuses on managing risk factors, such as using CPAP machines for sleep apnea and monitoring blood pressure. Vision loss is typically permanent, and patients require regular monitoring to protect the unaffected

Did any of this help you?? I don't want to scare you. We are all different. Being struck with something like NAION out of the blue with no warning signs is never fun. I was told there is a chance it could happen to my right eye. I dread the thought of that, so try and "focus" on what I have, not what I lost.
There is a lot of information on Connect, well not tons, but some about this condition, have you had a chance to read it?

@karukgirl
Thankyou very much for this information its not the best out come for you but not the worst either, this only happened me three weeks ago and I have just been to my GP today who confirmed I has high blood pressure and put me on medication, I just hope the effected eye gets a little better , I can live with the cloud but would like a bit more vision,

Sorry meant to ask are you able to ride the Harley again, I have a three wheeler Boom Trike myself but haven't been on it since this happened !!!!!!!

78 and my eye went from 20/400 to 20/200, but not much hope for future improvement.

Hi @samuel777. Naion affected my left eye 2 years ago while on a flight from Nashville to Seattle. I was a healthy 68 year old. Diabetic, but a1c was at prediabetic levels with careful diet. I had not been eating as careful as usual on that trip. And more alcohol. I don't normally drink much at all. Optic neurologist said prediabetic levels can contribute. I permanently lost all central vision in that eye. Weird vision and depth perception get better. I try to look at it with an appreciation for vision I still have. I am trying to keep my sugar and chlorestoral levels down. Hopefully your vision recovers. Best of luck.