A man in China went blind in one eye after suffering an 'eye stroke' while using his smartphone in bed, according to reports.

The man, known only as Wang, is said to have temporarily lost his sight while playing games on the device with the lights off.

Doctors in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, diagnosed him with central retinal artery occlusion.

The condition, also known as an eye stroke, is caused by a blockage or narrowing of the arteries carrying oxygen to the retina. They affect one per cent of the population.

But doctors in the US were sceptical because they say the condition typically occurs in older people with heart problems.

A man in China reportedly went blind in one eye after suffering an 'eye stroke' while using his smartphone in bed with the lights off (file image)

They said it was more likely that he had suffered an ocular migraine – a temporary loss of vision caused by spasms of blood vessels in the retina or behind the eye.

This symptom is far more common and can affect people when they are tired and straining their eyes at one particular spot.

Wang told the South China Morning Post: 'I was using my right eye to look at my phone, and I could see some words but not others.'

His doctor, Lei Tao, said Wang's blind spell was most likely caused by overuse of his smartphone which put excessive strain on his vision.

Wang, whose age is unknown, admitted he had a habit of playing on his phone late at night for long spells.

Tao claimed around 20 new patients every month were visiting his clinic with similar symptoms. He described it as a growing epidemic.

But US eye experts were not convinced. Dr Gareth Lema, a retinal surgeon at Mount Sinai's New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, told the New York Post: 'To make the claim of an eye stroke, there should be documentation.

'There would also be a retinal whitening and arterial thinning that would persist for weeks.

'[Wang] could've also been experiencing ocular migraines. In conclusion, I wouldn't use this [case] to raise alarm.'