Acquired aphantasia
Aphantasia that appears after a specific neurological event — a head injury, stroke, seizure, or surgery — in a person who previously had intact mental imagery.
Most aphantasia is congenital (lifelong). Acquired aphantasia is the smaller subset where imagery disappears or weakens after a discrete event. The first published aphantasia case — the patient who prompted Zeman’s 2015 paper — was acquired, following a heart procedure.
Acquired aphantasia is a distinct clinical situation from the lifelong form and warrants proper medical follow-up at the time of onset. If you noticed your imagery changed suddenly around a specific illness or event, speak to a GP.