| You probably know high blood pressure
and other vascular diseases pose risks to your overall
health, but you may not know that they can affect your
eyesight by damaging the arteries in your eye.
CRAO usually occurs in people between the ages of 50
and 70. The most common medical problem associated with
CRAO is arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries.
Carotid artery disease is found in almost half the people
with CRAO.
The most common cause of CRAO is a thrombosis, an abnormal
blood clot formation. Sometimes CRAO is caused by an
embolus, a clot that breaks off from another area of
the body and is carried to the retina by the bloodstream.
Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) blocks the
central artery in your retina, the light-sensitive nerve
layer at the back of the eye. The first sign of CRAO
is a sudden and painless loss of vision that leaves
you barely able to count fingers or determine light
from dark.
Loss of vision can be permanent without immediate treatment.
Irreversible retinal damage occurs after 90 minutes,
but even 24 hours after symptoms begin, vision may still
be saved. The goal of emergency treatment is to restore
retinal blood flow. After emergency treatment, you should
have a thorough medical evaluation. |
