Wink out
The second meaning of "wink out" is typically used in the passive form and often followed by "out of existence".
If a fire or a light "winks out", it was unexpectedly stopped from burning.
We were having a dinner together in a cozy atmosphere. Then, the candles winked out and left us sitting in the dark.
If something/someone is "winked out", it is abruptly brought to an end or he/she is suddenly killed.
The farmers felt so helpless because there was nothing they could do but simply watching their fields being winked out by flood.
The verb "wink" should be conjugated according to its tense.
A problem or difficult circumstance
I'm short-sighted, so forgetting my glasses is a real hair in the butter for my sight.