Retinal Artery Occlusion

An eye stroke cutting off blood supply to the retina

Overview

Retinal artery occlusion is a blockage of the central retinal artery or one of its branches, usually by an embolus from the carotid artery or heart. It causes sudden, painless, often severe loss of vision in one eye, and on examination the retina looks pale with a characteristic cherry red spot at the fovea in central occlusion. It is regarded as a form of stroke, and people with it are at higher risk of cerebral stroke, so it is managed as an emergency with urgent stroke assessment. Giant cell arteritis is an important cause to exclude in older adults.