Attention allows the visual system to extract relevant information from the surrounding environment. Yet, it exhibits severe limitations not only in the spatial domain but also in the temporal domain. In this paper, we focused on temporal limitations of visual attention. First, we reviewed studies on classical vigilance decrement or impairment in performance efficiency over a prolonged period of time. Second, we outlined more transient forms of deficits in attentional processing, namely, the phenomena called the attentional blink and the attentional awakening. In this review, we considered conditions under which deficits in visual attention occur and mechanisms underlying those visual attention deficits.