"CNN Newsroom" anchor Brooke Baldwin had viewers concerned on Thursday when she abruptly disappeared in the middle of her show.
It turned out that Baldwin, 39, was suffering from a serious ocular migraine that forced her to walk off set for the first time in her two decades on the job. Brianna Keilar, the host of "CNN Right Now," filled in after a commercial break.
Baldwin later explained what happened on Twitter.
"Ocular migraine,'' she tweeted. "I get ‘em about once a year. And in 20 years of doing live TV... that had never happened on set til today. I suddenly couldn’t see. HUGE props to my girl @brikeilarcnn for hopping in the seat with 2 mins notice. Going home to sit in the dark. Back tomorrow. Xoxo"
More than 36 million Americans deal with getting migraines, or intense, prolonged headaches that can cause nausea or vomiting, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
Ocular migraines can cause loss of vision, blind spots, zigzag lines and seeing stars, sometimes without accompanying head pain.
They can be caused by staring at an electronic screen for long periods of time, fluorescent or harsh lighting, driving long distances or other visually straining activities, according to the AMF.
Baldwin's ordeal prompted other ocular migraine sufferers to share their own stories.